Checkmate
by squeekness
Summary: The Xmen attend the Friends of Humanity Rally but hope for more than just fancy speeches. Will they get a chance to finally recover Kimble for good? Part 21 of my Kimble series.
1. Chapter 1

Summary : The X-men attend the Friends of Humanity Rally but hope for more than just fancy speeches. Will they get a chance to finally recover Kimble? Part 21 of my Kimble series.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

I do apologize for the small size of this post, it's just that it ends the arc and I hadn't realized how short it was until I looked it over. It'll be bigger next week, I promise. –SQ.

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(One)

Kimble set the bracelet down he was working on and rubbed his eyes. He was building cloaking devices for his Master, fulfilling a promise he'd made the last time they were here at the loft. They had come back to the City only yesterday and Creed had put him to work almost immediately, wanting to get these done.

Kimble had been instructed to make the bracelet cloaks as well as three larger cloaks for vehicles of some kind. Kimble wasn't given details of the upcoming job, just directions on what devices to make. The components for the cloaking devices were surprisingly simple, Victor was amazed that he had most of the stuff just hanging around anyway, the rest was easy enough to buy. Kimble had made several smaller cloaks already and when the devices were tested, the Master was happy.

Kimble had been at this all day without a break and was now tired. He looked behind him, seeking his Master. Victor was on the couch in front of the television, zoned out and drunk. The windows were still boarded up as always, but Kimble couldn't see the sunlight peeking through the cracks anymore, it was late now.

Kimble was a little sad today, the Master had taken his pleasure with Mary this morning instead of with him. He had foolishly complained about it and gotten a nice fat slap for it. The Master had shoved him in this seat, ordered him to work, and hadn't spoken to him since. That was hours ago.

Kimble was deeply, deeply distressed. Something most unexpected had happened up at the cabin in Maine -- it began just after Christmas, after that last fine day when the Master had cum shivering, looking into his eyes. At first Kimble had been elated, he'd gotten his deepest desire and had visions of more good things to come, of a glorious love between him and the Master. But instead, Creed had suddenly quieted and didn't call for him as often. At first Kimble thought maybe the Master was just tired, but then it began to happen with Mary as well, she wasn't seeking him out as often either. It was a mystery until the next day when Kimble had caught his two human Masters entangled in one another.

Creed had discovered that it was possible for him to love another. Kimble had quieted his mind and his rages enough to function on a normal enough level that Mary had accepted him and all of his advances. What started out as an accident had turned into something else. Sabretooth was falling in love, just not with the one that had started it all. Kimble's heart broke when he saw it in their shines, so bright with happiness around each other. They didn't see him and he slipped away.

He snuck off and hid inside the Master's big closet, wanting to cry without being noticed. He knew he shouldn't be jealous, he had no right. He was a Siskan hologram, a creature with no say in the matters of his Master's house. A possession, nothing more. He was designed to be at the Master's beck and call, he was supposed to be willing to accept any and all changes. It didn't stop the pain.

Kimble had been clinging to this hope that he would always have his Master's heart, that he would get the Master past the fact that he was trapped in this male skin. It didn't seem like that was going to happen now. Kimble would never be a woman again and the Master's head was turned by the woman who was. Kimble tried to hide his jealousy. I mean, he had gone to both of them for love, why should he be upset when they in turn found each other?

_Because ya always found equal time fer them both, now they's ignorin' ya,_ Zander said. _They're too busy playin' with each other now ta play with you._

_I ain't suppozta care,_ The Lover said, another tear dripping down his cheek.

_Butcha do. It's cuz yer the Lover. Ya wants too much. Let's go, Kim. We been here long enough._

_We cain't go. There ain't no other place fer us, we been too bad,_ Kimble replied with enough conviction to silence him.

Alone now, Kimble shivered and cried, Remy's words coming back to haunt him. _"You want what you 'ad wit Sheyman. Dat kind of love is 'ard to find and even harder to keep." _Those words were so very true, so painfully true.

Lakotashay was brutally cruel and quick to put this to her advantage. _We been passed over again, _she taunted. _We ain't never gonna be no girl fer real. Gots no pussy, gots no tits, we ain't never gonna be good enough. You thinks we ain't no good nohow. Let's jus' put an end ta alla this. Kill us!_

_No! _Kimble cried, doing his best to stay in control and not give in to her temptations. _The Master's jus' distracted. He'll come back ta us. He needs us._

Kimble did his best and tried to adapt to his new situation. He told himself that it didn't matter that he wasn't called upon to perform the little tasks his Master had come to enjoy, the gentle cuddlings, the pleasure of his mouth. All the Master wanted was the fucking because it came with the backwash.The Master had to have his fix.

Harder than that was to see the looks that passed between his two human keepers, they were shutting him out more and more with each passing moment. Kimble's heart was crushed. What he couldn't fully articulate was the simple truth that even though he was a Siskan Courtesan of the highest quality, his unique personality had him a position where he would never be satisfied in a harem situation. As much as he loved them both, Kimble didn't want to share the Master with anyone. He hadn't done so well being in second place to Seth and so he struggled being bumped to second again with Mary. It was more than his heart could stand.

_I still have purpose, I still have value_, Kimble tried to console himself as he cried._ The Master still calls me, jus' not so much as before._

The Lover had never done well with being ignored, it was still true even now. He began breaking some of the rules just to get attention. He didn't always wear a shirt and tied his hair back, exposing his masculinity. The Master said nothing, his eyes were tracking Mary now. Frustrated, Kimble snuck outside to play in the snow again. It took over an hour for the Master to notice and then he beat Kimble, not even asking why the pilot had gone out even after he'd been told not to. No kindness followed, just some blows with his fist and then Master was gone.At least he hadn't taken out his belt. Kimble had cried and wasn't given comfort. He was at a total loss.

They had come back to the loft yesterday in preparation for the Friends of Humanity Rally and things were worse. There was no privacy here, it was one big open room except for the bedrooms. With little to do, Creed and Mary played often, oblivious to Kimble's jealousy and breaking heart. Creed had never been one to care much of what anyone thought, he was used to being in charge and doing as he pleased. He simply wasn't equipped with the mental radar that would pick up on Kimble's distress. The pilot was put to work building cloaks, he was the only one with any real work to do. The Rally was near, but all the plans made. Once the cloaks were made, then the next steps could be taken.

_Ya knows these cloaks ain't gonna be used fer no good,_ Zander said, sensing Kimble's distraction. The more tired and low Kimble became, the stronger the voices had begun. Zander was pestering Kimble now as he worked.

_Jus' wants 'em done. I wants ta do sumpthin' else._

_Again the Master uses us. Let's sneak out. We could jus' leave an the Master would never know._

_We ain't goin' nowheres,_ Kimble replied. He was now well trained and firm in where he belonged in spite of the troubles in his heart. There would be no escape attempts.

_Why you wants us ta leave? _Lakotashay asked the Punisher. _I don't likes how yer always pushin'._

_What do you care? We leave, we gits caught, another lovely beating fer you. Where's yer sense of adventure?_

"Jus' shut the fuck up!" Kimble hissed, speaking out loud unawares. He didn't want any beatings and the thought of it made him angry. "Cain't work with alla yous makin' my head hurt!"

Sabretooth shifted on the couch, turning his head in Kimble's direction. The pilot was hunched up at the table, rubbing his eyes and scowling. He had been at it all day without a break, maybe it was time for a moment's rest. Victor had wanted the cloaks done, his tarrying so long in Maine catching up with him, but he didn't like it when Kim was like this.

"Hey, kid. Come here."

Kimble looked up, startled, but obeyed his Master's command. He shuffled over and stood there, his head down dejectedly. "Yes, Master?"

Victor scowled at Kimble's tone, he wasn't sure if it was insolence or not, but didn't like how Kimble wouldn't meet his eyes. Kimble was clearly depressed. "Come lay down with me. Take a load off."

Kimble's face broke out in a huge smile, assuring Victor he had done the right thing in calling him over. Creed grunted softly in pleasure as the pilot stretched out alongside him on the deep sectional, wrapping his slender white arms around him and nuzzling his neck gently. He toyed with Kimble's long black hair, closing his eyes a little as he was filled with happiness from Kimble's affection.

The pilot felt it and his heart soared. The Master still loved him, he was still needed! His nuzzling grew more urgent and he opened his mouth to gently bite, having learned that this pleased the Master. Creed's response was favorable and they were soon tangled there on the couch, grunting softly as they took their pleasure in one another.

When it was finished, Kimble was once more petted and content. "Kristalay..." he mumbled. He was using the name more and more, his Master had grown to like it.

"Yer jealous of Mary," Victor said softly. He had an idea what was upsetting Kimble. He hadn't been as oblivious as Kimble thought he was, he just wasn't sure what to do about the whole thing. It had been just as unexpected for him.

"Sorry, Kristalay."

"What do ya think it's like fer me when she feeds ya?"

"She don't lay with me no more."

Creed stiffened a little, he hadn't known that. He'd just assumed they were all sharing each other like some kind of bizarre love triangle. It thrilled him and perplexed him all at once. He would never be able to fully understand what made people do what they did, he had gone too long without real relationships. Her withholding explained a lot about why his servant had been so moody and quiet lately. "Yer lonely."

Kimble squeezed him tightly. "Don't makes me leave, don't gives me away."

Creed returned the hug. "I ain't gonna get rid of ya. It's just that things 're changin'. Ya helped me, calmed me down. Ya gave me Mary. She's been here all along, but I never took the time ta see her. Not until you. I'll always be grateful fer that. I ain't never gonna let ya go, ya just gotta deal with me playin' with someone else, too. We'll figure this all out, just gotta have some patience."

"I loves ya," Kimble said, surrendering and giving him a squeeze. "I loves Mary, too."

Creed grunted, happy to hear it, and made Kimble close his eyes. He continued to pet him, stopping only when he heard the pilot softly snore. This noise would never bother him, never. It was one of the few indicators that this strange creature was even alive, Kimble had no smell, no heartbeat. It didn't stop Victor's affection. He still carried something inside of him for this one that would never diminish, never fade. He was sorry now he'd been distant, so nice it was now with this slender body wrapped around him, he could fall asleep himself. His eyes were almost shut when he heard Mary come beside him and lay a gentle hand on his head.

"Hey," Creed mumbled sleepily.

"He looks better."

She had noticed Kimble was out of sorts this day. Like Creed, she hadn't realized that Kimble would be so jealous. Her relationship with Victor had abruptly changed since he had taken her that first time in the cabin. She desired him now, welcomed his touch. Usually, Victor waited until Kimble was asleep or too busy to notice when he would seek her out. It had been easier in the cabin, the rooms were separate.

Here there was even less privacy and this morning, Kimble had walked in on them in the kitchen. They had just been fooling around and Victor had put her up on the counter, their lovemaking unplanned. They had just finished, but weren't dressed when Kimble had shuffled in from the bedroom. He was barely awake and squeaked in surprise when he saw them. He couldn't hide the jealousy, the jealousy that Creed had chosen someone else. He fled in a tearful rage and Creed followed him. There was a short argument, a hiss from Kimble and the unmistakable sound of a slap. Kimble fell silent, shocked and humiliated by the blow. Victor was angry and placed him at the work table, ordering him to build the cloaks. Kimble had been there all day.

"You shouldn't have hit him," Mary said to Creed now.

"I know, but it's okay now. He's all set."

Creed looked up at her, unsure of what he was feeling. He wasn't so cold about her as he had been before, there was something here now. Was it love? He really didn't know. It wasn't the same as he felt for Kimble, it wasn't as strong. The fact was that he was hopelessly addicted to Kimble's backwash and he knew it. It would forever taint his feelings, forcing him to chose the pilot over all others, even Mary now, if came down to it. He had to have what Kimble could do for him. This had been the best four months of his life, the most clear. His clear head had allowed Mary to get a toehold inside the ice cold door of his heart, allowing him to realize Kimble wasn't the only one he could care for. He would protect her as fiercely as he would Kimble, something new. Something perplexing.

Truth was, they were all a little jealous of one another, this strange three way relationship a bit too bizarre for any of them to handle. They were coping with it, the two humans doing their best to keep this from boiling over, from becoming more than they could withstand. Kimble was the bridge between them, smoothing them out and maintaining a fragile peace.

"You coming to bed?" she asked Victor, still stroking his head.

"Kim's comfortable."

She just smiled. "Bring him."

Creed grunted a laugh and did his best to rise, his servant still in his arms. Kimble mumbled something and gripped him tightly, not wanting to be let go. It made Victor laugh again and look down on his tired white face with affection. They all fell into Creed's large bed, Victor in the middle, with Mary's arms around him and Kimble's body warm and cozy in front of him. The pilot giggled and fell back asleep instantly, a smile on his face. It was okay now, his fears of being left behind dissipating for the moment.

Creed stroked him, loving him and the woman who held him. In this moment, Victor saw his life as it could be forever. It was all coming true for him, he was capable of being normal, of being happy, even after all the bullshit and pain he'd been through in his life. With these warm bodies surrounding him with their love, what greater bliss was there than this?


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

Gambit stepped out of the taxi cab, his bag slung over his shoulder. He shut the car door and stood looking up at the Xavier Mansion for a moment. The cab drove away and he was alone.

He had enjoyed his time off in New Orleans, he truly had. It was almost painful being back here now. The big house before him was a huge reminder of his failure to bring his Kimble home. Here was his pain. He couldn't move his feet.

New Orleans had been a blast. He had stayed away as long as he could, even managing to squeeze in Mardi Gras after all. Really, he had been too concerned about his father to leave him for long. He knew Jean Luc didn't have much time left for this world and Gambit determined to stay by his side as much as possible. He'd hardly left his father's rooms, fearful that he'd have a heart attack or stroke while he wasn't looking. Jean Luc seemed to appreciate his company and they had spent some time catching up on each other's lives. Of all of Jean Luc's would be sons, Remy was the most attentive. Etienne was around, but Henri and some of the other cousins were conspicuously absent from his side, only calling now and again as if they knew nothing of the seriousness of Jean Luc's condition.

Gambit wasn't about to do the same. He had called the Professor and told him that he would go along with whatever plan the others devised for the Friends of Humanity Rally, but he needed the time away right now. When they required him to actually be there, he would come. Charles understood that Remy needed this break from the X-men and was all too willing to give it to him. The Rally was now only three days away and he was back here again to prepare with the team.

While in New Orleans, Gambit had been unable to locate the mysterious Babette, nor had she called him. When he wasn't spending time with Jean Luc and his Tante, he prowled the streets, the bars, and clubs looking for her, but she had simply vanished. Perhaps her Master had been upset at her sneaking out and had punished her. He hoped not, the thought of her being in pain disturbed him. She would always have a place in his heart, she had burned her way in and would never leave. He still felt obligated to find her, clearly she had information about why Jael was seeking Kimble out and what his real purpose was. Remy didn't know how much she knew, but he needed to know what it was.

Remy had even gone so far as to consult with some of his more questionable contacts for some help in locating her. New Orleans was a big place and the Thieves Guild wasn't the only Guild in operation there. There were other Guilds, most notably the Assassins Guild. They were a crafty bunch and sometimes worked hand in hand with the Thieves. A lot of the Assassins were prostitutes as their marks could be more easily lured this way. Remy's loose and fancy free ways had him mingling among them often and he'd made a few friends.

He went to one of these, a woman by the name of Nancy. She was an accomplished Assassin and also a prostitute, which meant she got around. She went to a lot of the Clubs and bars where a Siskan might attempt to pick up men as Babette seemed to like to do. She was Gambit's best hope for finding the mysterious and elusive Babette. Remy gave Nancy the best description he could of his new friend. When he got around to describing her tattoo, something flickered across Nancy's eyes. When he questioned her about it, she told him some distressing news.

The Assassins Guild's network and information gathering capabilities rivaled that of the Thieves', Nancy was well informed. It seemed that Jael was done playing around with Sabretooth, he wanted his Siskan turned in. He'd posted a ten million dollar bounty on Creed's head, it would go active the moment the Friends of Humanity Rally ended. It appeared that Jael was issuing an ultimatum to Creed --- deliver Kimble by then or else. The Assassins had caught wind of it because the bounty was good if Creed was brought in either dead or alive. A number of the Assassins felt they were more than up to the job of collecting.

The bounty had also been extended to Kimble. A very clear description of the Siskan had been handed out, including details of his tattoo. Kimble was wanted unharmed and returned to Jael at once. A generous bonus would be paid to anyone who did this, but certain harsh penalties would be cast on anyone who damaged Kimble whether or not it was an accident. The money offered was too good for anyone to pass up and many Assassins were home now, sharpening their knives.

Remy couldn't help but groan inside with impatience. He would do this Rally job with the X-men, help them kick Sabretooth's ass at the Rally, and then he would go back to New Orleans again. Nancy was sure to have information for him on Babette by then. He'd played innocent on everything else she had told him of course, fooling no one, but Nancy was a good friend, he could count on her. Babette had nothing to do with Jael and Gambit's money was always good. Remy gave her all of his various phone numbers and she would call him if Babette showed up. Remy couldn't wait to go back and finish this up. Nothing would keep him here in New York after the rally was done, unless of course Kimble showed up.

_Get a real idea,_ he chided himself, but couldn't deny the flicker of hope the thought had given him. _Don't even t'ink it, it ain't gonna happen._

He heaved a heavy sigh and managed to take a step towards the house when the front door opened and Molly came out. She coughed her lion's bark at him and eagerly ran out to greet him. She halted at the last moment, checking herself and trying not to be too pushy, but she would never be able to hide her happiness from him. It came at him in a pleasant wave, warming him as her arms came around him. He gave her a squeeze. "Bonjour, my Molly girl. You been good?"

**_Where's the fun in that?_** she signed with a laugh.

He laughed and breathed her in, trying to ignore her vibrations of love. An impossible task with his heightened senses.**_ /She's got a crush on you/_** Shi'ow-ri whispered, unable to hide a touch of laughter in her voice.**_ /She's such a fine girl, Remy. She'll make a beautiful wife./_**

It hadn't taken Remy long to grow used to this new voice. They had become fast friends and as time went by, it seemed to him that she had always been there, his secret little helper.

_She too young,_ Remy chided her. _She still a girl._

Shi'ow-ri gave him her laughter. **_/Yes, a girl. For now. But later, a woman./_**

_Don't tempt me, chere. Don't tempt me. Wolvie'd squash dis boy flat if 'e knew what I was t'inkin'._

Molly had a crush on him, no doubt, though she was trying to respect him and hold it back. It wasn't easy. He'd been gone almost a month and she'd missed him, he had a long stack of E-mails on his father's computer to prove it. She had written to him almost every day once he'd sent her the address. Thing was, the feeling was mutual. She was so beautiful to him now, laughing here and tugging him up to the house, being careful not to scratch him with her claws. It pained him that she was so young, still so far from reach.

His time in New Orleans had been good for him. He had done a fine job of overcoming his fear of women, Babette had seen to that. She had provided a temporary cure for that dull craving he'd been fighting all this time, but it didn't last. It was back soon after and even now a little worse than it had been before, making him restless and hungry for her again.

He prowled about looking for the mysterious Siskan, but no longer turned down anything of the female persuasion that came his way in the process. Dealing with the beautiful Assassin women only ensured that it would happen, but it had been good for him. He learned to quiet his mind, to not reach out with his power when he was with them and he hadn't lost control, not enough to black out. He'd gotten used to the duality that came on him just the same but relaxed and learned to enjoy it, letting it boost his pleasure. Even so, the sex with them wasn't as good without the rush Babette had given him with her power. Fucking a Siskan 'gram would always be its own adventure, but at least he could take his pleasure now with anyone he might desire and not be freaked out.

His sexual confidence now restored, a lot of the anger he'd been carrying around was gone. He was mellow. The tea Mattie had given him soothed his aching guts and he had no more pain. He stopped smoking and drank less, behaving. He'd gained a healthy fifteen pounds over the last month from his Tante's good cooking as well. His fine sense of humor and cocky kid like arrogance had returned, he was happy now and more like his usual self. He was determined not to let himself get that low again. His concern about his father's illness aside, he was overall very much improved.

Shi'ow-ri wasn't done whispering to him.** _/Molly's so pretty. Let's take her with us when we go back to New Orleans. Imagine her pretty face there, shining all around you./_**

_Yeah, imagine dat face gettin' me into a whole lotta trouble. Gambit don't dare, he really don't. Besides, if we find Babette, don't wanna be explainin' dat to 'er. Forget it._

"Easy, chere," Remy said, dropping his internal conversation to address the girl tugging him along. "Gambit miss you, too. 'Ad no time to watch de X-Files. You gotta bring dis boy up to date on what 'e miss, hien?"

She laughed and released him to speak. He watched her face more than her hands as she began to tell him about the episodes he'd missed, seeing her happiness and drinking it up. Her energy and her smile charged him up and made him feel a little giddy. He loved the expressions on her face, the blue of her eyes. She would never be beautiful, but he just didn't care. It was her vitality and inherent happiness he enjoyed. She was a joy to be around, even more so since he'd been gone. He shifted his bag on his shoulder, still smiling as he listened to her, and they walked up to the house.

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Charles Xavier wasted no time in gathering his teams to prepare for the Rally. This would not be a Blue Team exclusive, the threat was much too large. Not even an hour after Gambit arrived, the leader of the X-men convened an emergency meeting to get everyone brought up to speed about the Rally. There was a good sized crowd here in the large War Room, almost everyone from the huge X team was here. Charles actually had about three or four teams active around the world at all times, keeping an eye on all the different mutant factions and their human opposers. Now gathered, there were close to fifty people here, not all of them recognizable to the Cajun thief.

Remy took his seat at the table and the meeting began.

Scott Summers, Charles' second in command, took the podium and addressed the room. He gave everyone a rundown on what had happened during the raid on Jael's lair. It had happened three weeks ago and most of the people here had heard all this before, but Gambit hadn't so Scott took the time to bring the Cajun up to date. Some of Jael's people had been taken into custody during the raid and a chunk of Jael's wealth confiscated. The man himself got away, but the raid wasn't a total bust. They had learned details about Jael's plans for the upcoming Friends of Humanity Rally.

Through its various sources, SHIELD had pieced together that Jael had apparently hired Sabretooth to set up a team to cause some sort of mischief. No one knew what Sabretooth had planned, only that it was sure to be ugly, so now the whole X-men crew was on high alert. Sabretooth had extensive military training and with Jael now backing him, near unlimited resources. Everyone assigned to an X-team would be called out to participate and to provide back up for the SHIELD security forces that had already been assigned to protect the Friends of Humanity speakers and the crowd. Hopefully with the two teams working together, they could stop this thing from becoming a serious disaster.

Most of the rest of the meeting was spent on viewing schematics for Yankee Stadium and working on who was going to cover where. It was tedious, but necessary. Co-ordination was required with this many players on the field, both air and ground positions had to be squared away and the talents spread out where they would be most useful. Once that was set and organized, Scott dismissed most of the group, asking for the Blue Team to remain behind to discuss what might be done about Kimble. It had been an unspoken thing that if Sabretooth might be present at the Rally, Kimble might be there as well. Kimble's personal information was kept a little behind the scenes from the entire X-group as it was, for now, considered mostly a Blue Team matter.

Remy was quiet for most of the meeting, listening to what was being said, and nodding every now and again. When the Blue Team was alone, he raised his hand, asking for Scott's attention.

"Yes, Remy?"

He looked at Logan. "You an' Fallen seen other Guardians when you was at Jael's?"

"That's right," Wolverine answered. He was fully recovered from his burns and never looked better. Planning battles always seemed to make him shine.

"Gambit seen another one, too, In N'Orleans. One wit a Mark."

"Do tell."

Gambit explained that he'd come across Babette by accident. He tried to leave out the details of the romping around, but was soon flushing a little and chuckling when asked some rather embarrassing questions by some of his more rambunctious teammates. He rather enjoyed a sharp look of jealousy that crossed Rogue's face, but saw something flicker across Scott's as well, their fearless leader would never approve of his more playful appetites. That cooled him somewhat, bothering him more than he would have liked. He danced away from the sex and moved on to what he had learned.

He downplayed Babette's mind control on him, saying only that she'd used her charm power against him to evade his persistent questioning. He did however manage to get her to take his phone number and hopefully she would contact him. Gambit also took this opportunity to announce to the team his plans to return to New Orleans immediately after the Rally. His father was gravely ill and he wanted to continue his pursuit of Babette.

He didn't mention his contact with the Assassins Guild, he doubted his teammates would approve. All he said was that he had some spies out looking for Babette. If she didn't call him on her own to meet her Master, he was going to make it happen on his own, one way or another. He was firm in his belief that her Master had information they needed to fully understand exactly why Jael was seeking Kimble and others of his kind.

"That sounds like a good plan, but I'm hopin' fer better'n that," Wolverine said in his low growl. "Way I see it, if Creed's hidin' Kimble away from Jael and yet he's still pullin' this job, he's gonna stash Kimble somewhere he thinks Jael won't be able to get him. We get Creed, we'll get Kimble. This might be an opportunity we won't want to miss."

"How you know Kimble ain't been turned over?"

" 'Cause word has it that Jael's offerin' ten million fer anyone who turns up Kimble or Creed."

Remy did an excellent act of pretending he didn't know this already. As a thief, he would always be prone to keeping secrets, he didn't want his dealings with the Assassins Guild on record. "Why would 'e do dat if Saby's pullin' dis job fo' 'im?"

Logan laughed. "The bounty ain't active until after the Rally. Creed's been given an ultimatum. Turn Kim over or run."

Remy scowled. "Merde! Den he gonna turn Kim over fo' sure!" _(I'd like to t'ank everyone at de Academy fo' dis here award...)_

Wolverine snorted derisively. "No he ain't. He just hates that shit. Even if he was considerin' turnin' Kim over — which I doubt if what we know is true ---- he'd make a point of keepin' Kim late just to thumb his nose at Jael. Creed ain't scared of nobody, least of all terrorists with big fat mouths. Hell, if it came down to it, he'd probably do a real good job of thinnin' Jael's ranks, the guy's so bloody ruthless. He's like a walkin' war machine. It's such a shame he's a total crackhead. We'd probably stand a real good chance of takin' Jael down if Saby was workin' with us instead of the other way around."

"So you still condone murder?" Scott interrupted, crossing his arms in irritation.

"Fer Jael? Absolutely."

"Hopefully that won't be a decision that comes to us to make," the Professor said in an attempt to cool the tempers in this room. The Rally was looking more and more like a big deal and folks here were nervous. No one fancied the idea of trying to prevent something you can't see. No one knew for sure what Sabretooth had planned, only that it was probably going to be something bad. The best they could do was prepare for the worst and hope for the best.


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

As the time finally came for the Rally, Creed became increasingly paranoid. He would pace about and was more irritable, wanting only for this job to be done. He'd heard about the SHIELD raid against Jael's lair and hoped that it had put a serious cramp in the terrorist's style, but he had no way to know for sure. Jael hadn't contacted him at all since then, but the finance account he had used to pay for everything to do with the Rally was still active and covering all the bills.

What he had heard about from one of his contacts wasthe ridiculous bounty that Jael was hanging over his head now. He knew by the start time of it going active only after the Rally was done that this was a clear message – turn Kimble over by then or else. Jael was done fooling around. As Logan suspected, the bounty only raised Victor's ire and made him that much more determined to hang onto his prize. The time for turning Kimble over was long passed, the bounty would go active. He could care less. He valued Kimble too much regardless of any bounty, and had spent quite a bit of time pondering solutions to his various problems.

He sent a polite message to Jael just the same, saying his plans for the Rally were on schedule and that he should be pleased with the results. He had outlined what he had put together, hoping Jael would see the genius of it. It was a masterful plan, one sure to succeed. He also tossed out a token price for the stolen Siskan as well, figuring Jael would probably refuse it, but, hey, you never know. It was of course, politely declined.

Still, Creed had worries. He had this big job to do, but was reluctant to leave Kimble behind. He was concerned that someone would try to steal his servant while he was gone. If Jael was to discover Kimble's location, Jael had the power and ability to break into the loft and forcibly take his treasure, especially if Creed wasn't there to defend it. The only thing saving him was that only he and Mary knew about the loft, he had kept the location secret even from his men, and he believed Mary would never betray him, not now with things between them going so well. On the other hand, Jael also knew Creed was going to be at the Rally personally overseeing things. He had to be careful. He had to be clever if he was going to keep Kimble for himself.

Creed was in his office, mulling all this over when he called out, "Hey, Kim. Come over here."

Kimble approached his Master and knelt down in front of him. Things had been better for him, he had made some peace with his situation, but there were still moments of lingering doubt. Mary had slept in Creed's bed all last night, another first and a clear sign her position of being first in Creed's heart was growing strength. Kim had been in the bed as well, but on the outside. He hadn't slept well. Kimble tried to cope, but it was a losing battle. He tried his best to block out the visions of his Master and Mary being together and tried to think only of those times his Master wanted and needed him. His Master wanted him now and he couldn't be happier. He looked up at Victor, his eyes full of love. "Yes, Kristalay?"

Creed lay his hand on Kimble's head. "I got a problem."

"What's that, Master?"

"I got big job comin' up. It's gonna take a day or so and it's kinda dangerous. It's dangerous 'cause it's fer Jael and he knows where I'm gonna be."

"He wants ta hurts ya 'cuz of me," Kimble said softly, lowering his eyes.

"Maybe. I don't know. We've got to be careful."

"Whatcha wants me ta do?"

"Can you protect me like ya done with Cameron's guys?"

"Of course, Master. It's my job ta protects ya."

"If you can do that, you can come with me when I go to do this job."

Kimble was elated, but had some negotiating to do. _Zander?_

_Yeah, buddy?_

_You gonna help me do this? I knows the sword is really yer thing._

_If ya wants me to, I will, _Zander was all too willing to agree. If they got out of here, maybe they could escape. It would be their only opportunity and he wasn't about to give it up.

Kimble looked up into the eyes of his Master. "I promise ta keeps ya safe."

"Good." Sabretooth next gestured to a large crate on the floor next to his desk. "I made a cage fer you, just somethin' ta help keep ya safe while we're movin' around."

Sabretooth was resourceful and had soon found a solution to this problem. He had a special cage made from a metal frame and a containment field. The command truck he would be using to oversee the stadium activities was quite large and he knew there would be room for it. Kimble would have to sit hunched up inside it, but at least he would be in Creed's sight the whole time. He figured the cage would give Kimble some sense of security and make it that much harder for Jael to grab hold of Kimble as well. The cage was quite heavy and could be fastened into the command truck with a lock, it wouldn't be so easy to just pick it up and steal it away. When Victor had the cage brought up to the loft, he figured Kimble would argue and he did. Just not the way he'd expected.

Kimble took one look at the cage and freaked. "Yer not sendin' me away! No!" he squealed in terror and bolted, phasing though the wall to run away, his clothes and the dog collar fluttering to the ground in a heap.

Sabretooth stood there, stunned. He shook his head, grinning now, and started checking the bedroom closets. He found Kimble in one, buried behind a pile of coats. He could see the pilot's eyes gleaming at him in fear, but with defiance as well. If Creed insisted on taking him away, he would just phase again.

Victor reached out and brushed Kimble's cheek. It was wet with tears. "I ain't gonna send ya away, kid. I've gotta go to work and this time I'm takin' you with me. The cage is so no one can steal ya from me."

"You wants ta give me up fer Mary!" Kimble blurted out in an agonized sob. Here it was, his final removal, it had to be.

"What? No, that ain't it at all," Victor answered with a short laugh. In spite of Kimble's discomfort, he found this to be somewhat amusing, Kimble's jealousy.

"You loves her more'n me!"

Creed sighed. Now here was an argument he never expected to have in his lifetime. "I ain't givin' ya up fer Mary, Kim. I need ya too much and I think you know it."

Kimble blinked at him, not daring to believe. "You don't wants me cuz I cain't be no woman fer you."

"If that was a real problem, I wouldn't have been fuckin' ya all this time, Kim."

"You kin fuck a man, but ya cain't loves one. It ain't the same."

"Kim, I can't love anybody. I'm a monster and we both know it."

His words had the desired effect. Kimble left his own insecurity behind and automatically reached out to touch him reassuringly. "You ain't no monster, yer my Master."

Creed chuckled softly. "I want you here, Kim. As much as monster Master can want the one that makes him as happy as you make me. I ain't sendin' ya nowhere. I want ya on the job with me, but I hafta make sure yer gonna be safe if someone tries ta steal ya away from me."

"Promise?"

Creed shivered, he couldn't help it. Kimble wanted him, desired him, never wanted to leave. It still amazed him that this impossible thing had happened. "I promise."

Kimble eased out of the closet, spilling into his arms. He clung to his Master like a child, sobbing quietly. Creed held him tightly, drinking up the vibrations of love that poured into him, enjoying this. It was private here in the bedroom so he pulled Kimble's head back and kissed him, slow and deep. Kimble shuddered, instantly aroused. "Kristalay...!"

"We ain't got no time ta play right now, Kim. There'll be time later."

"Yes, Master," Kimble said, giving in. He followed the big man back out to the cage and dressed in his fallen clothes. He was sure to replace the dog collar, it was a symbol of his possession and his acceptance of it, he wouldn't leave it behind.

Sabretooth opened the door to the cage and the pilot went inside, scrunching up as small as possible and whimpering softly. He prayed this wasn't a lie. This had revived his fears of being passed over for Mary and the voices were screaming in his head.

_Kimble! We gots ta git outta here! We cain't go to Jael!_ Zander howled. He had an instinctive fear of the terrorist, he wanted only to get back to Westchester and the safety of the Xavier Mansion.

_We gots ta trust the Master,_ Kimble said, barely able to hold his fear in check.

_Who ya tryin' ta convince, me 'r you? If yer so certain, why're you so scared?_

"Kristalay!" Kimble whimpered.

Sabretooth put his hands to the softly colored containment barriers. "Relax, Kim. We're just gonna bring ya down to the truck now. Stay quiet there, buddy."

Mary and Creed hefted the cage up onto a dolly with a long handle and used it to bring Kimble to the elevator and down to the warehouse where the command truck was parked. Kimble cried softly with fear as he was taken to the truck and loaded away. He kept his hands to the field as his eyes tracked Creed who was handling him. When he saw his Master go into the back of the truck with him, he took some comfort from his Master's presence and quieted. Mary as usual, was driving. Creed deactivated the barrier on one side of the cage for a moment and gave Kimble a quick pat of reassurance for which his prisoner was grateful. Victor snickered to himself. He should have thought of this before. The Rally wasn't really until the next morning, at least now he would have entertainment while he waited.

They drove to a loading dock nearby where they took a small boat out to a massive barge in the harbor. The barge was only marginally safer than the street, so Creed then took Kimble out of his cage and bundled him up in a large trench coat, ordering him to flatten his wings as much as possible. Kimble was already dressed in loose pants so his pilot's legs weren't so obvious, and suffered having a hat squashed over his head to hide his long hair. Victor was very paranoid, he didn't want anyone to know Kimble was still with him and he was much too nervous to leave him in the truck while he did his inspections. Kimble was under orders to keep silent while Creed made sure everything was as it should be. He also had another order to give.

"If somethin's gonna happen ta us 'cause of Jael, here's where it's gonna happen. I don't think it will, Jael ain't that dumb, but the guys on the boat can't be trusted all the way. Here's where I'm countin' on you ta cover my back."

Zander was eager to cooperate. He didn't want to go to Jael and wasn't about to let any of Creed's treacherous hired thugs bring him there._ I'm on it, Kim. Don't you worry 'bout nuthin'._

"Yes, Master," Kimble replied, his voice dark and serious.

They stepped out onto the barge. This large ship was the launching point for the operation and where all of Creed's men and ordinance had been assembled. Creed's plan was very simple. He would start by teleporting three large helicopters over the stadium. He had obtained three top notch teleporters to do this. Sabretooth had spent most of his money locating these teleporters, they had to be powerful enough to jaunt such heavy vehicles and had been very expensive. The talent was checked out and these guys were more than powerful to get the task done. Getting the 'copters in over the stadium would be done so fast, neither SHIELD nor anyone else would be able to stop them --- by teleporting the helicopters in over the stadium, the risk of being detected early was minimized, they wouldn't be heard coming. The vehicles were now parked on the deck of the barge, cloaked by Kimble's magical devices and invisible so anyone flying overhead or sailing around them wouldn't be able to see that they were there. Being in the harbor, this barge was more than far enough away not be considered a threat to the Rally. The choppers were surrounded by chicken wire so that no one on the barge would walk into them by accident and be injured.

Once in position over the stadium, the helicopters would next drop off their mules. The mules were mutants with telekinetic or flight ability, loaded with packs of explosives. The plan was to put the mules in the choppers, unload them over the stadium, and they would next drop their packs loaded with explosives down onto the crowd. All the mules would be heavily armed with rifles and even rocket and grenade launchers.

These mules were now standing about the deck, wearing their large backpack bombs with the casual ease of well trained mercenaries. This was just another day's work to them. Just the same, Creed was sure to check all of the packs. It wouldn't do for one of these idiots to blow himself up and wreck everything. Kimble followed his Master about the barge meekly, doing his best to stay out of the way. His eyes were watchful on the crowd around them, but everyone here was busy and he didn't notice anyone paying special attention to them.

Kimble was oblivious to all the operation preparation, he was too thrilled and happy he hadn't been left behind to pace alone in the loft. His fears of being caged were gone now that he could see his Master was truly at work and not handing him over. Kimble had no clue what was going on as far as the job went, he understood only that there was a long line of telekinetic people here called mules who had packs filled with small grey bricks. It was trickling in that these were bombs and that these mules had been gathered to drop them down somewhere. He had seen the blueprints for the stadium at the loft, but he hadn't put it all together. He didn't even care that all these folks milling about were now wearing the cloaks that he himself had built, he had made them at his Master's request, only doing as he was told. Kimble wasn't really interested then nor now. There was no sign of danger here to himself and he could sense Creed was just making the rounds so he could return to the command truck.

Sabretooth finally decided all was in order and he and Kimble took the boat back to the warehouse and the control truck. Creed locked himself and his servant away in the back of the truck, relaxing as Mary started up the vehicle and they drove off to the Bronx and Yankee stadium. They would park close by the stadium, but not so close as to be suspicious. They would not be at the stadium itself nor in the parking lot, but only just a few blocks away.

Mary found the spot Creed had selected and parked, remaining up front in the large cab and leaving Kimble and the Master alone. She had a headset radio and could be called upon for anything she was needed for. Tired now, she closed her eyes and took a nap.

Creed wasn't so tired. He was always wired before a big job. There was a small bank of video monitors and he was keeping track of things. One small screen was showing the Super Bowl. It was a tape, the Game was long over, but it had been an interesting game to watch and now Victor was watching it again. It was late now, after midnight, and he tried to relax. Creed was the only one who would be working in here so it would be private. He considered using Kimble, but the pilot had curled up into a ball inside of his cage and was now fast asleep. Creed just chuckled softly and watched the game, never feeling it as his own eyes slid shut and he fell fast asleep.

------------------------------------

It was morning when Sabertooth snapped awake, a small alarm waking him. It was only just a couple of hours before the Rally was to begin and he had wanted to make sure he had time to see things were all set. He buzzed Mary, asking her to get some coffee and breakfast. There was a bench seat along one side of the truck and he had fallen asleep on it. It was long, but not very wide, and it was a miracle he hadn't fallen off of it. He had no idea he'd been that tired. He sat up, rubbing his neck.

The time had passed quickly, uneventfully. Truthfully, he hadn't expected any trouble. It was very possible Jael had spies on the barge and had seen Kimble with him in spite of the disguise, but Sabretooth knew that Jael wasn't so stupid as to pull something before the mules launched. Victor had his finger on the trigger of this great big gun Jael had at the Friends of Humanity and Jael wasn't so stupid as do anything to jeopardize his plans. If any of the terrorist's hunters were going to make a move, it would be after the bombs were dropped, not before. He was safe for the moment.

"Mornin', Kristalay," Kimble greeted, blinking up at him from his cage with delighted eyes. He was happy the Master had risen and he was no longer alone.

"Hey, Kim."

Creed deactivated one side of the cage, allowing Kimble to come out and stretch. The pilot slid out, sighing with relief as he arched his back and flapped his wings a little to work out the kinks. The cage gave him a sense of security, but it was small and he had very little room to move about.

Mary was there a moment later, bringing coffee and donuts. She stayed to eat, but was soon sent back up the front. She was Victor's eyes and ears for the truck itself, even though he had monitors. He wanted her in position in case he got spooked and they had to move at once.

Full of coffee and pastry, Victor was feeling human again. And bored. He clicked his tongue at Kimble, deciding he had waited long enough before using his toy. Kimble came to him, waiting to see what he wanted. He made the pilot kneel and pulled Kimble's head into his lap without speaking. Kimble went to work eagerly, happy to do this and show his worth. It had been too long since this was asked of him Kimble thought with some resentment, Mary had distracted the Master so. He never paused in labor, not even when the satellite phone next to them rang. Creed picked it up and pressed the speaker phone, placing his hand on Kimble's head so he wouldn't stop. "What?" he growled impatiently.

It was Davis calling from the barge. "Everyone's in place, sir."

"Good. I'll give ya the signal fer the launch when it's time." Creed bucked a little and grunted as Kimble shifted, increasing his pressure now that his Master was so close.

"Jason said that we're not alone. The X-men are here."

Kimble couldn't help but hesitate at the sound of that. Creed pulled on his hair savagely, jerking him back to work. The pilot obeyed, but his hands had begun to tremble. If the X-men were here, that meant Remy was here, too. Possibly even Fallen.

"Don't worry. They have no idea we're here. We'll take care of them, too, at the same time. How sweet." Creed hung up, not the least disturbed by the interruption to Kimble's activities, and clicked his headset, calling to Mary up front. "Come back here, Kimble looks hungry."

"I just fed him."

"Feed him again."

"Right, boss."

Creed clicked off and grabbed Kimble even more roughly than before. He had sensed Kimble's momentary hesitation. "It's not like you to stop like that. Somethin' on your mind?"

Kimble didn't reply. He closed his eyes and changed tack, using all of his skill to bring Creed to a finish in an effort to distract his Master from having that question answered. Kimble was working, but his mind was a million miles away.

_Kimble! Yer X-men are here! _Zander was shouting. This was the break he was looking for, the one thing he could use to wrench the Lover free of this insanity.

Yeah, so?

_You ain't so stupid as ya pretends ta be. Ya knows what the Master is plannin' fer the Rally is gonna kill yer X-men, too!_

_No, it ain't true._ _The Master ain't gonna hurt nobody,_ Kimble tried to deny, but his heart knew better.

Zander's reply began with a series of flashbacks. The blueprints, the cloaks, the helicopters, the bombs. _Don't be an idiot. We hafta gits outta here an' save 'em!_

_I cain't. I ain't that strong...them X guys kin look after themselves nohow. They don't needs me._

_Not from this! You gots ta warn them!_

His Master bucked and shivered, releasing him as he finished with a violent shudder. Creed laughed as his huge body shook with the joy of it, no longer interested in Kimble's answer. He had a solution to that problem anyway. He didn't even flinch as the back of the truck opened and Mary came inside.

She startled and paused in mid stride, surprised to catch her boss in such a compromising position, Kimble was still on his knees, his head bowed over his Master's lap. She watched as the Siskan backed away, wiping his chin and swallowing what his Master had given him. She couldn't help but shudder with revulsion at the sight of it, that was one trick she had never mastered nor was it one she had any desire to learn.

Kimble smiled up at her from his kneeling position, but his eyes were confused. He was still uncertain what do about the X-men or if he should even do anything about them at all. On top of that, he didn't like the jealous swirling in her shine. In so many ways, at the moment his loyalties were being tested.

Mary didn't notice Kimble's discomfort, she was rocked with a jealousy that took her breath away. She had been happy that Kimble had been put on a kind of hold, Creed was giving most of his affection to her. It had been a while since she had been in a position to see these two at play and it bothered her more than she had expected.

Creed stood, pulling up his pants. He saw the look on Mary's face and recognized it as jealousy. Uncertain for whom it was felt, he sneered. "He's way better than you darlin'. Don' take it personal."

She just tossed her head at him. "Does he fuck you in the ass, too?" she asked, the words escaping her before her wisdom could catch them. She should have known better than to play on Creed's insecurities, not when things had been going so well between them.

He snatched at her, his huge hand wrapping around her throat. He was furious. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it!"

Mary trembled, letting him smell her fear. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Damn her own self destructive streak. There was no arguing with this man. She would show her submission and then he'd let her go, that was how the game was played. "Nothing," she wheezed. It was all she could manage.

He threw her down forcibly on the bench and let her see his teeth. "You fuckin' cunt. Yer lucky I even keep you around."

Mary leaned back against the wall of the truck, trying to retain some dignity, but failing. His words had stung her worse than the rough handling. Were these past days of happiness only a lie? "What do you want?"

"I want you to feed Kim, he looks a little peaked. But y'know? I think you should give him some of what I just got. I know how much you just love suckin' on big fat c--cks."

Mary shivered with revulsion. He knew she hated that more than anything and was using it now to punish her. Her power had given her enough of an edge that she could dominate any man --- well, any man but Creed. She wouldn't get down on her knees for anyone else and he'd had to beat her almost senseless first the one time he had asked this of her so long ago. She'd performed badly on purpose, disliking both the task and the man. Her hope had been that he'd leave her alone and he had. Respectful of her now more than ever, he hadn't requested this of her once they renewed their relationship. Damn, she should have known better than say anything. She knew Creed had been mellowing out lately, he'd been so nice to her, loving her. Curse her own stupidity that she had flown off at the mouth like that. She had brought this down on herself.

"You don' hafta, Mary," Kimble whispered, horrified that things had exploded into mayhem and disaster like this. It only went to show just how much tension there was between them all. Not once had she done this for him and he hadn't asked. His enhanced senses had told him quickly enough she would never be willing do it and he was too much in her thrall to demand such a thing from her. "Let's just fergit it, guys."

"Not a chance. Just this once, I wanna see Kimble cum from you, Mary. Yeah, that'd be real fine," Creed growled. He sat down in one of the command chairs to watch, getting comfortable. "C'mon now, we're all lovers now. Ain't no big deal. Right, Mary?"

Mary was in no real position to argue, Kimble knew it as well. He loved his Master but wasn't oblivious to the man's cruel streak, he was just sorry it had come out like this. Kimble sat next to her on the small bench when he saw she wasn't going to fight this and let her undress him. He had wanted this a long time, it was a pleasure he had always enjoyed, yet so seldom received. Not since Raul had he been given this. Problem was, the one he wanted most to do it, never would. His eyes met his Master's as she went down on him and he made sure Creed knew his desire. _I wish this was you_.

Sabretooth just grinned at him, saying nothing.

Kimble could feel Mary's distress and loathing of this task and wanted only to soothe her. He stroked her head gently in reassurance and sent out vibrations of comfort, but began to trip out almost immediately as her plasma cascaded into him from the intimate contact. Creed watched as Kimble's eyes glazed over and he began to shake from the pleasure of her attention. Kimble spared Mary and didn't hold back. Between the plasma and his desire for Creed, it didn't take him long to finish. He pulled himself from her as he climaxed, not wanting her to do any more than she had to. Mary relaxed against his legs, grateful for his consideration. He could have taken full advantage of her situation, but hadn't. Of course not. He was Kimble and unlike anyone else she had ever known.

"I dunno, Mary. I would have thought ya could've done better'n that, but guess I was wrong. Guess ya don't have ta worry bout me ever askin' ya," Creed laughed, his voice betraying more hurt than anger. His cruelty was from the pain she had caused him from her sexual remark. Now he was simply jealous even though he had forced her on Kimble. Creed was a psycho, not able to conduct himself in a normal manner. It was too easy for him to step up to the line and cross over it. It was too late to take it back now so he chose instead to forget it.

Kimble wanted only to forget this as well. He wasn't happy with the tension in the room. He licked his fingers, cleaning up his mess. "Ya done just fine, baby doll," he said to Mary, his eyes kind. He was buzzed and warm and satisfied now. While ugly, Sabretooth's tactic had worked, the X-men were a distant memory and forgotten from Kimble's mind. "Thanks."

She smiled at him and rose, blocking Creed's view of her face. For one moment, Kimble saw how much she had hated this, and to a point hated him for just being in the skin of a man. He turned away from her, sorry, but then smiled as she brushed his face. "You're welcome."

"Dose him high, Mary. I want him quiet," Sabretooth ordered next. He hadn't forgotten Kimble's involuntary hesitation before, it was the whole point of asking Mary to come back here. This momentary unpleasantness had been unplanned. He knew there was some residual loyalty there in Kimble's reaction to the news the X-men were nearby and he didn't want it to get in the way of what he had to do today.

Kimble looked up and then gasped as Mary sent a blast of plasma into him. His mind was washed away and he slumped over on the bench, grunting and laughing softly to himself. Mary dressed him and eased his legs up onto the bench before covering him with a blanket. He shivered and moaned with each stroke of her fingers on his bare skin. He was also hard again even though she had just gotten him off. It wasn't her, she knew. It was the plasma, it always did this to him. She stood back over him, watching him slip away with a small smile on her lips. He was like a child now, all bundled up and falling asleep with his hands curled up at his throat.

"Git yer ass back outside," Creed barked. He hadn't liked how Mary was looking at Kimble now. He was frustrated and confused at what he'd just made to happen, upset and angry that he'd forced Mary on Kimble like that. He was feeling an intense regret and shame, something he simply wasn't able to cope with.

Mary nodded and walked out, keeping her head down. As she made her way to the front of the truck, it sank in what had just happened. If Victor truly cared for her, he wouldn't have done it. His obvious shame and regret wasn't enough to convince her it wouldn't happen again. Forced to be subordinate to Kimble like that told her one thing, if Victor was forced to chose between them, Kimble would win. She wasn't oblivious to Creed's addiction, she'd been foolishly toying with the idea that it could just be dealt with. Now, she was no longer sure. If she were smart, she should leave as soon as possible before this madness swallowed her up for good. There was never a better time than now. She went to the cab of the truck and instead of getting in, grabbed her pack and slammed the door so Victor would think she was there. She broke into a run and fled into the crowd of New York City. The further away from the two of them she became, the faster she ran, the more tears poured down her face.


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

Gambit sipped at his own cup of coffee, turning his back to the cold. It had started to drizzle, making it worse. Damn this miserable New England weather! Who would want to sit out in this crap? Oh, yeah, a few thousand mutie haters. _De fuckin' assholes. Hope dey all freeze to death._

Remy was tucked away beside the stands here at Yankee Stadium, waiting for the shoe to drop. Charles Xavier had taken the threat of Jael pulling some big time mischief here very seriously. The whole gang was here, cloaked and patrolling the stands and the friendly skies, all the telekinetics were hovering very close by and keeping a watchful eye. Along with the X-men were at least fifty undercover SHIELD agents. They had been scheduled to be here anyway, the X-men were a bonus and most welcome. No one was really sure what to expect and everyone was nervous.

Fallen and Seth had built the cloaks they were using. They were all on the same frequency so they could see each other clearly in spite of being invisible to the world and they had headset radios as well. Everything was well co-ordinated and ready.

Gambit was located near Monument Park, on the ramp to Gate Two with easy access to the street. The stadium wasn't at full capacity, only about thirty thousand people were here, most of them out on the grass near where the stage had been set up. The stage was right in front of where Gambit was situated, blocking his view, but it wasn't his purpose to watch the show, he was out here looking for trouble. The majority of the undercover security and X-men were out on the fringes as he was, figuring there would be some kind of shooting aimed at the main speaker, Terrel Jacobs. Jacobs was protected with bullet proof shielding, but with mutants, anything could happen. The crowd itself was laced with as many telepaths as Charles could manage to scrape up, hoping they would read the minds of any ill intenters. No backpacks or purses were allowed for anyone entering the stadium and everyone had been scanned.

Charles had gathered as many telekinetics as he could find and they were flying about, visible only to those who had cloaks. Even Max was here, but kept to the outside. He would assist in evacuations if it came to that. He was under strict orders not to engage any enemies, only to report. He was barely sixteen now and was to be careful. He was young and not as trained as he should be for full combat.

Gambit tossed his now empty coffee cup into a trash barrel and paced restlessly. Would they be lucky today? He had played out over a hundred fantasies in his mind where Jael was taken and no longer a threat to his precious Kimble. If he couldn't get Kimble back, he would at least be happy to remove the possibility of him being used to kill anyone else.

Kimble's angel. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about that, too. What was it? Was it an object, a person, a vision? Anya hadn't been too helpful on that, nor had Kimble's own diary. Gambit had finally finished the tiny book, finding nothing there but his friend's own frustrations. If the angel was a weapon, maybe Kimble had found it already. Remy would never be able to get the vision of that flaming orange sword out of his mind, Seamus' death would haunt him for the rest of his days. Perhaps the angel was something else, Leon had explained that conjuring the sword and powering it was Channeling and that Joshua had taught Zander how to do it. That sword alone would not be enough for Jael to do enough damage, the angel must be something else.

Gambit felt a vibration as his cell phone went off. He had shut the ringer off in leu of the vibrator so it wouldn't be heard. He slipped into a shadow under an overhang near the exit and answered it. It was a greeting from Molly. She had been left behind at the Mansion to keep an eye on things since she wasn't trained well enough to be out here assigned with the team. She had stolen from him a promise that he would be in contact with her every few minutes as a way of keeping track of what was going on. Because Molly couldn't speak, Henry had set up for her a keyboard computer phone. She would type and a computer simulated voice played back her message to the listener. Remy had a great laugh over this, she'd been given several voices to chose from and she'd picked that of a husky, whiskey voiced female. He knew it really Molly talking to him, but it was almost like having phone sex, the voice got him hard if he thought about her enough. It had become her voice, Molly's voice.

Remy laughed at Molly's impatience. He was five minutes late. "Bonjour, chere."

"How's it hanging?" that sultry whiskey voice purred at him.

"Gambit so bored, he'd rather watch Tellie Tubbies on the tube."

"Anything going on?"

"Not really. Gotta ask Chuck for a raise. I'm freezin' my yahoos off."

"Ha ha ha. It's too quiet here with all of you gone."

"Well, as much as Gambit love yo' company, dis ain't no party. Why don't you order some pizza for tonight, s'il vous plait? Gambit will 'elp you eat it. Don't look like much is gonna be happening 'ere."

"It's a date. Call me in ten."

"Absolument, petite. Au revioir."

Gambit hung up just in time to look up into Logan's eyes crinkling in amusement. "Hot date?"

"Molly an' pizza always a hot date, mon ami."

Logan's look hardened. "How old is she again?"

Gambit smiled disarmingly, realizing his mistake. His choice of words could have been better. "She sixteen next week."

"And you are?"

"No threat to 'er virginity, patron."

"Answer the question."

"Twenty-five. Back off."

"I ain't never told ya how ta run yer life --"

"And you ain't gonna now!" Remy finished for him, his face flushing with anger.

"Yer loose. I could give a shit, just so long as ya keep yer dick away from the kid."

Gambit scowled. "Gambit ain't no pervert! You keep y' hangups to y'self, Wolvie boy!"

The two men stared each other down, a silent battle of wills interrupted only by the crackling of their headsets. "If the two of you are finished now, the speaker is about to go on," Jean said, unable to hide a bit of laughter in her voice.

"We on it, chere," Remy replied, his eyes never leaving Logan's face. They were standing very close now, almost confrontational. He could feel Logan's anger vibrating out from his overly bright shine and something else. **_/He's hiding something about Molly/ _**Shi'ow-ri whispered, his empathic voice. **_/It's there in his eyes./ _**

Remy's power wasn't telepathy, he wouldn't crack the exact thing, he could only pick up on Logan's protection gears whirling at full speed. Still, the recognition of something gained flickered across his eyes and Logan took a step back, sensing it.

_Cripes! That is so damn creepy!_ Wolverine thought as he retreated. _He's almost as bad as a fuckin' telepath now!_ _Can't block him as well 'cause he's readin' my emotions, not my thoughts. Gotta work on that, protect myself. Don't like givin' myself away so easily._

"I ain't gonna 'urt 'er," Remy said a bit more gently, withdrawing from their battle without backing down. He tossed his head, flipping damp hair away from his eyes and walked closer to the field to better view the stage, giving his back to Wolverine in a show that this conversation was now over. The near confrontation had scraped raw across his overly sensitive mind and left him feeling grumpy and depressed. He had come here to fight the bad guys, not his own teammate.

Logan grumbled softly, feeling a little foolish and followed him. He didn't apologize but stood nearby, his eyes up towards the sky, looking for anything that might signal an attack. He just wanted this to be over with and done.

Remy was aware Logan was there and sensed his guilt, something that took the edge off his anger. Logan hadn't wanted to fight either, the moment between them had passed. Remy reached the walkway railing just as Rogue dropped down from making a sweep overhead. "Hey, Sugah," she greeted.

Remy smiled at her, but kept his distance. She'd been very nice towards him lately, too nice for him to trust her. He wasn't sure what was more irritating -- her being a pain in the ass, or her being so friendly. He knew Manny was gone from her life, if not the Mansion, and that Rogue was once more on her own. Here was an opportunity for them to resume their relationship, but he found himself keeping his former girlfriend at arm's length. He just wasn't sure what he felt about her anymore. Right now, he just had too much going on his life with Kimble and his father to want to start things back up with her again. That and he couldn't deny that Shi'ow-ri's persistent whisperings about Molly had given him some hope for his future.

Not to be impolite, he nodded a greeting at her, fishing in his pockets for some gum. He had come fully prepared, his pockets were loaded with cards and a small bag of ball bearings. He also had his staff in a tight loop on his belt. Unusual for him, he also had a small pistol tucked in a small holster hidden well under his coat. He didn't like guns, but he just didn't know what to expect here. It might be enough to get him out of tight space if it came to it. If Wolverine had smelled it on him, the man had said nothing.

"You see anyt'ing up high?" Remy asked his ex, just to make conversation.

"Not really. Maybe we'll git lucky an' alla this will just be a waste of our time," she replied.

"Keep yer eyes open," Logan cautioned. "This is much too sweet fer Jael ta pass up. He's here, he's just pickin' his moment Won't be long."

-----------------------------------------------

Terrel Jacobs paced nervously just a few feet from the podium. He was a middle aged white man, blonde and in prime physical condition, everything the proper bigot should be. He was dressed in an expensive Armani suit and tie, a bright and shining American. He was proud to be the head Friends of Humanity, the man at the helm of the anti-mutant cause. This rally was to raise funds for their Presidential candidate and to lubricate the wheels of Congress. He would see that those mutant camps were constructed. At the very least, all mutants should be clearly marked as such and isolated. They certainly shouldn't be allowed to breed.

A makeshift stage had been set up in front of Monument Park and he only had a few minutes before going out to speak. He'd been informed of SHIELD's presence out in the stands, he'd been forced to accept it as he wasn't about to cancel this Rally. He doubted Jael was clever enough to pull anything of any significance out here, Jael was a petty thug, nothing more, as far as he was concerned. Besides, anyone killed or injured here today would be martyrs for the cause.

And there were plenty of folks here to listen to him. The stadium hadn't sold out, not by a long shot, but there was a good ten to fifteen thousand people out here on the grass and in the lower stands. This Rally was going to be a rousing success. He was quite pleased with the turnout.

He wasn't worried about any danger himself form this crowd or from outside terrorists, he was wearing a bullet proof jacket under his suit and had a bulletproof shield constructed around the podium. It was clear and ugly, but no one would argue it was necessary, not in this new age of violence and terrorism. He took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage. "Howdy, peoples!"

The stadium came to life as the crowd surged forward, screaming and yelling their approval. The Rally had begun.


	5. Chapter 5

(Five)

Kimble was dreaming. He was feeling a most pleasant kind of love, one that didn't come with raised fists or savage tearing claws. He saw such lovely red eyes looking down on him with pure adoration and undying passion. A voice spoke to him in Siskan with a teasing Cajun lilt that made him shiver with joy. It tickled him and made him cry out with an aching sense of loss. He saw a white haired woman, a pilot who held him and gave him such wonderful blue power that didn't come with a price or make him so high he didn't know where or who he was. He saw a tall, slender, doe eyed man who looked at him with brotherly love and touched him oh, so gently. Kimble whimpered and curled up, grieving. He saw their bodies smashed and broken in a burning ruin of a stadium.

A voice whispered to him, one achingly familiar. "Time ta wakes up, Kimble. Ya gots work ta do. Been sleepin' too long, baby doll. If ya really wants that angel, ya gots ta earn it. Time ta go to work fer real. Wake up."

**_Father!_** Lakotashay wailed, her grief sharp and loud.

Kimble came awake with a gasp and found himself curled up on the bench, tangled in a blanket and drenched in a plasma fevered gel sweat. He was still quite high from Mary's plasma and he found it hard to move. The message had revived him early, he should still be lost in a stupor. Such a stupid dream, silly to think Sheyman had been there, speaking to him. He heard the sound of his Master on the phone again, co-ordinating the mules as they readied for launch. He loved the sound of his Master's voice and let it drift in and swirl around his head like a caress from the inside.

"Launch in twenty," Creed growled into the headset he had on.

Kimble rolled over, kicking off the blanket, and looked at his owner with blurred vision and contented eyes. The sound of that command was so familiar. Didn't he used to say that very thing so long ago? Kimble blinked as that thing was nagging at him again. Davis' voice came in, and he felt a shock of adrenalin when he heard his words.

"I've got a confirmation on our visitors. Wolverine, Gambit and Rogue are up behind the stage, near Gate Two. They've got some kind of cloaking devices on, but Carl was able to detect them from their body heat signatures."

"Wolverine, how very nice. We'll see how his healing factor holds up when he's a burning charcoal briquette in about twenty minutes or so." Even with his memories restored, Creed could care less what happened to his half brother. "Just in case, don't wait fer me. Launch on time, no matter what."

Creed had tossed out that last statement with a plan in mind. He would wait five more minutes then he'd get Mary rolling and they would bail on out of here. Jael would have his demolished stadium and he'd be dust in the wind again, his precious Siskan and his lovely Mary alongside him. He wasn't about to wait for Jael to come looking for him.

Kimble's mind was reeling. _Tell me you ain't gonna sit still fer this!_ Zander said, speaking inside but letting Kimble feel his desire for battle. _We gots ta do sumpthin' ta stop it!_

_Remy loves me,_ Kimble replied, his brain still struggling. _But the Master. I cain't—!_

_How kin ya still defend that sick fuck after what he just did? Didn't ya see how hurt Mary wuz? If he done it that once, he'll do it again! He'll just keep usin' us ta hurt her! The guy ain't worth it! Besides, ya said you wuzn't ever gonna let nuthin' happin' ta Remy. We gots ta go!_

Kimble was hopelessly torn. _I don't know whats ta do!_

_We help Remy an' come back an' take our licks if that's whatcha still want_, Zander answered, opting for compromise.

Kimble accepted it. _Help me!_

Zander cackled with joy. _No problem._

"I'm sure they're not alone, sir," Davis continued.

"Doesn't matter. Whoever's there will be so much toast. All the better fer us."

Creed clicked off the phone just before Kimble slammed into him, smashing his head into the large computer screen in front of him. There was a sickening crunch as Creed's skull smashed and cracked from the impact. Too late, Zander had come out on the command to defend those the Lover once considered to be his friends. Creed reeled back as blood gushed from his gaping head wound, but Zander had already flown to the back of the truck, wasting precious time as he tried to figure out how to open the locked door.

Creed struggled to comprehend what had just happened to him. The injury was already healing thanks to his mutation, but he was dazed. Why had Kimble done that?

"Hey!" Creed growled savagely. "What the fuck!"

The pilot turned to face him, his hands fisted and glowing orange with an eery power that gave Creed a little pause. This was a little too much like how Kimble had been right before Seamus got blown to bits, not a good sign. The only thing missing was the sword.

The pilot swayed unsteadily at the back of the truck. Kimble's eyes were still half open and not really focused. He was still high from the plasma, but he had a job to do now. "I won't letcha hurts them," he threatened his Master in Zander's low growl.

Creed swallowed, praying that wasn't who he thought it was. "Who're ya talkin' about?"

"Remy, Seth, an' my Fallen. I won't let ya hurt thems. Don't try ta follow me or I'll kills ya." Zander ordered.

Creed was blasted by a jealousy white hot and burning. Kimble was supposed to be his. He would tolerate no other competitors. "Get yer ass back on that bench! I order you!" he blurted out, blood flying from his mouth. His head was one huge agony, but the bone was almost healed and itching like mad.

Zander responded by sending out a huge telekinetic burst at the rear door, ripping off the back of the truck and toppling Creed down on his ass. The Punisher had no time to argue with Creed, he had to warn Remy and get him out of the stadium. He had to get to a phone! Now liberated, he flew unsteadily out in a street filled with traffic, trying to gain some altitude.

Zander swerved in panic when he saw all the vehicles but next screamed as an oncoming truck struck his dangling legs, sending hot slivers of pain up from his feet. The impact had torn him badly, actually ripping both feet from his ankles. Zander tumbled in mid-air and howled with an agonized sob from the pain. Grey fluid gushed from him in a torrent, the injury a serious one. He thought for sure he was going to bleed out but watched in numb horror as the grey and orange gel that poured free from his ankles next formed into ropes and balled up under him, recreating his feet as white lumpy ruins. Lumpy ruins that were covered in ugly, dark bruises. The fact that Mary had charged him so high before saved his life. All of this took only seconds but it felt like hours, the agony was so great.

_Let me takes the pain!_ 'Shay shouted at him. She yanked on him for control but Zander wouldn't give it to her. Not just yet.

_You cain't fights! This ain't done yet, not by a long shot!_

Creed grabbed a headset radio and pounced from the back of the van. Kimble was still close so he snatched at him as he sank down to shoulder height after being hit by the truck. He had been just as startled by the miraculous repair as Zander had been, but he was glad for it. He was upset about Kimble's attack but only wanted to get him back into the van where he could beat some sense into him. He wasn't worried that Kimble might die, he was counting on Mary to be there to fix him. He didn't understand why Kimble was acting this way, but wasn't about to let him go. It had to be that stupid plasma shit making him crazy.

Zander yanked away from his Master's grasp and heard a soft purring sound as Creed's claws ripped through his shirt, shredding one side of it. The Punisher strained and flew as hard as his pain would allow. He was fast, but was losing height. Bullets whizzed by him as Creed raised his gun and began firing.

Sabretooth was an exceptional talent, he could run and shoot with remarkable accuracy. He wasn't aiming to kill, he wanted to take Kimble down easy. He wouldn't hurt his lover, not like that. Too much had passed between them. At the same time he was screaming into the headset, demanding that Mary follow him. Of course she wasn't answering, she was no longer there. Creed's rage increased as he began to run out of bullets, the pilot was still moving and not slowing down in spite of being injured.

Zander was barely able to deflect the shots fired at him with a weak shield. The pain was making it hard for him to concentrate and he'd lost a lot of power from the repair, such as it was. Some of the bullets ripped through his shirt and hit him, but had no real speed from the shield. They only bruised him without breaking his skin. People screamed and dodged out of the way. Zander had no time for this. He had to get away. Had to get to a phone.

He swerved down an alley in an attempt to lose Creed. It was a wasted effort, Sabretooth was a hunter by trade and by nature. Victor tossed his empty gun, caught up with Kimble easily enough and snatched at the Siskan again. He caught his prey, once more snagging the soft leather of his shirt. He used the garment to slam his disobedient servant into the bricks of the building.

_This's familiar_, Zander thought wryly as his back collided painfully with the wall, bruising the fragile structures of his wings. He saw a flashback of Logan's face and his rage strengthened his will. The Punisher snarled in frustration and used his power to shove Creed back. It became a battle of wills as they pushed against each other.

"Where're ya goin', Kim? Huh? Quit this shit an' come back with me!" Sabretooth howled in his fury. He was still amazed this was happening at all. He had figured Kimble was tamed and completely under submission.

"Lemmie go! I won't let you kill them, I cain't!" Kimble blurted out, popping out for a moment. It wouldn't last. The pain in his feet was horrible.

"What'd those X-guys ever do fer you anyways, huh? Did they ever love you like I do!" Creed blurted out without thinking. He was stunned by his own words. He'd never told anyone he loved them.

The Lover trembled, recognizing Creed's words for what they were. He cried out in frustration and pain. "Tells me ya won' kill Remy an I'll go back with you!" he wailed as the tears ran down his face. "Please!"

"I can't stop it, it's too late," Creed lied. He didn't like what he was hearing here. He didn't want Kimble's loyalty shared with anyone, especially not with Gambit. Not that loser thief.

The Lover saw his lie and Creed knew he'd made a terrible mistake.

"Fuck you!" the Punisher snarled, regaining control as a surge of furious hatred for the Master swelled up inside the Lover. The Punisher would continue on his rescue mission. He wouldn't fail. He gave up on shoving Creed back, realizing it wasn't going to work. He bowed his head and became intangible, using up more precious power.

Victor was still shoving and his momentum pushed him through Zander's now vaporous body. He reeled first from the shocking cold of Kimble's inner core passing through him, but was next assaulted by a bright flash of thoughts ---- _My feets hurt so bad! The Master don't really love me! If he did, he would do this fer me! He wouldn't kill my Remy, my Fallen, my brother! My feets hurt so bad! I hates him! I hates him fer lyin' ta me! My feets hurt! Oh, God! They's hurtin' me so bad! I hates him! I hates the Master! He used a belt on me after he beat me already! After I said I wuz sorry! After I said I loved him! It hurt so bad just like my feets hurt so bad! It hurts! It hurts so bad!_

Creed hit the brick wall painfully, shivering and still grasping Kimble's ripped up shirt. He howled in bewildered rage, not understanding what had just happened. He swerved and slashed out with his claws, his confusion making him reckless.

Zander was tired, but managed to keep himself far enough away from Sabertooth's deadly hands. He flew up high, helping himself aloft by using a series of fire escapes to heave himself up.

Sabretooth gave chase and followed him quickly. It was sinking in what had happened. He'd had a blast of Kimble's poor tortured thoughts. His toy was freaking out. All he had to do was get him back to the truck. If he could do that, everything would be fine. The pilot was slowing down, making it easier.

The Punisher was tired. It was all he could do to stay in control. He didn't think Kimble or 'Shay could finish this so he would just have to keep moving and bite back the pain. He knew he wasn't going to make it up to the top so he gave up and dropped down, using his meager power to line up with Creed who was just below him. He caught the bigger man by the throat and tore him away from the fire escape. He used as much strength and telekinesis as he could muster to throw Creed into the brick wall of the next building.

Creed howled in rage and disappointment as he slammed into the wall. He couldn't fly so he fell quickly, reaching out with his hands to the nearest fire escape, but he was too far away. Victor fell all five stories to the alley below, smashing his head on a dumpster there with a sickening thud. He landed in a broken heap, but Kimble knew his reprieve was only temporary. Creed's healing factor would have him on his feet soon enough, his Master's quick recovery in the control truck had been proof of that.

Zander dropped down to the alley, exhausted, and grabbed Kimble's leather shirt and pants in a daze. He dressed awkwardly, doing his best not to topple over. He was in a lot of pain and not too steady. He put the shirt on, tucking his wings under it as much as possible, and started to stagger back out onto the sidewalk.

_The collar! Gots ta have the collar!_ Kimble insisted, some part of him not wanting to admit his ownership from Creed was over.

"Ya don't needs it, Kim. Not no more," Zander said, his voice tired and sad.

_Please! I wants it!_

Zander didn't argue. He picked up the collar and fumbled with it, locking it in place around their neck. He was in so much pain now, he couldn't think so well anymore.

_I'll takes yer pain,_ Lakotashay offered.

Zander nodded and finally let her have control. He fell back into the circle of light. Kimble was balled up in his chains, sobbing now that Zander had done as he had asked. He had been betrayed by the Master and wanted only to cry out his misery.

Lakotashay loved pain, but this agony was very real. She couldn't put the full weight of the body down and make it look right so she hovered just above the ground, trying to act naturally. She fussed with her hair, smoothing it out and trying to cover the lump of their wings. She briskly made her way down two city blocks before she saw a payphone and ran for it. They had no time.

_Nots the phone! _Kimble howled now in turmoil, reviving some at the thought of it. He felt ghostly pains from the savage whipping course right through him and he trembled violently and sobbed, blubbering in his chains.

Zander shivered as he felt the infant pilot child shift inside the circle of light. This new one had been roused from the Lover's agony and sense of impending doom. He peaked out from under his blanket and cried, _We done a bad thing! Cain't use no phone. 'S bad!_ _'Gainst the rules!_

"We gots ta do this, whoever you are. I kin do it. It'll be okay," 'Shay said to him, being very brave. The child made her nervous, he was an unknown entity with a surprisingly loud voice. He was growing stronger.

'Shay grabbed at the phone and punched in Gambit's cell phone number. There was a whine and a tinny voice demanded money. She scowled in anger, she didn't have any. Quickly now she scanned the instructions on how to use this miserable device, all the while trying to tune out the loud complaints from both Kimble and the new guy. Both were clambering loudly in protest of her doing this task. She was unafraid, perhaps they would get another lovely beating out of it if the Master caught them.

'Shay needed money. She was clever enough to figure out the box in front of them and Zander was all too willing to let her use the power to work the lock on the change bin at the bottom. The shiny metal door fell open and a sea of tiny coins spilled out at her poor, bruised feet. She grabbed at them and dumped them into the slot, dialing quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

(Six)

Gambit was still behind the stage when his cell phone vibrated again. He swore impatiently and answered it, figuring it was Molly. The Rally had begun and they were much too busy right now for him to be wasting time on the phone. He was a bit startled when it wasn't her at all, but someone quite different. "Bonjour? Eh? Who's dis? I ain't got no time for some kinda prank, petite. Eh? 'Shay, dat you? Jesus Christ, where y'all been! Gambit's been worryin' his'self half to death 'bout all of you! Is Kimble okay? What?" He snapped his fingers at Logan to get his attention.

Logan shook his head, but looked up when he heard Kimble's unmistakable garble shouting from his end. He couldn't make out what was said, Lakotashay was hysterical and her childish voice just made Kimble's drawl even worse, but it must be bad because Gambit went white as a ghost.

"Wait! Paisible maintenant. Stop cryin', Gambit can't hear you! What? Cloaks? Dey got what? Cloaks, choppers, bombs? What? Okay, okay! I got it! I'll see what I can do. What's wrong wit you? You hurtin', I can hear it." Remy closed his eyes and covered them with a trembling hand. "Oui, chere. Gambit knows. Where are you? Oui, I know where dat is --- Don' go nowhere! You stay put, comprenez? Gambit's gonna be right dere!" He clicked off and looked at Logan with eyes full of fear. "Dey gonna bomb de stadium!"

"When?"

"Maintenant! Right fuckin' now! Dey comin' in wit choppers or sumpt'in'. Dey gonna be cloaked, Saby make Kimble build dem. Cloaks, same as us. Tell Fallen to change everyone to settin' five! We do dat, we can see dem comin' in!"

"Why me? Where you gonna be?"

"Kimble's hurt. 'Shay said it ain't bad but I know better. I gotta go take care of 'im! Gimmie de keys to the Jeep!"

"We ain't got no time fer any of that shit! We gotta take care of this first!"

"Kimble's alone, unprotected! We can take 'im, we ain't never gonna get another chance! Gimmie de fuckin' keys now!" Remy shouted, his trembling voice betraying his concern for his lost friend.

Logan swore and tossed him the keys, letting Gambit go only after the thief had told him where he expected Kimble to be. He would send backup if he could.

Wolverine clicked his com link and told the others what was going on. He stepped away from the ramp and looked around him at the bleachers, expecting anything. As he looked up to the sky, the first of the helicopters blinked into view and the mules poured out, loaded for war.

"They're here!" he screamed into his headset.

He cursed again when he saw the mules blink away as soon as they avoided the chopper blades. The choppers, now empty, vanished as silently as they had come. "Fuck!"

--------------------------------

Ten minutes into his speech, Terrel Jacobs was on a roll. His large audience of agreeable mutant haters hung on every word, new converts to his terrible cause. He had sold them on the idea of containment camps and forced registrations, soon enough he might even have them on board for mandatory sterilization of all mutants. Terrel would see those monsters wiped out, each and every one.

"There will never be a safe place here for us, for normal humans, if we do not take measures to protect ourselves!" Terrel proclaimed loudly to another surge of loud agreement from the crowd. "Give generously to our cause! The cause of freedom!"

The crowd roared and he raised his hands, basking in the glow. He threw his head back, eyes gazing to the heavens, certain that the Lord on High was one with his mission. He got an answer to his gaze, just not the one he had expected -- he had looked up just in time to see three cloaked helicopters blink into view and unload their army of mules. He took an awkward step back, "What the hell is that!"

------------------------------

"Everybody move!" Jean screamed into her headset.

Fallen was up high, obeying but now fumbling with a controller box for the cloaks. She hadn't needed Logan's message to see what was going on. She had seen the mules spill out of the choppers and then disappear into thin air as the helicopters had done. She had been close enough to one of the mules to recognize the bracelets they wore. She changed the frequency on her own cloak until she saw the mules blink back into sight. She shouted orders into her own headset, "Everyone! Change your bracelets to setting five! We can see them! Shit! Kimble must have made the bracelets!"

One by one, the X-men all winked back into sight as all the cloaks became as one and all the combatants could see one another.

"Fallen! This way!" Jean shouted, waving her new teammate along. "We have to stop the bombs! See, they're dropping their packs! Together, you and I can make a telekinetic net! Now!"

Fallen nodded and combining with others that followed, they formed a telekinetic shield very close to the ground and over the heads of fleeing people. The bombs exploded uselessly against the shield, toppling people as they fled, but not killing them. Some of the packs made it through, but nowhere near as many as would have without their protection. There were explosions all about and the screaming of the injured was loud. Fallen ducked as someone began firing on them with automatic weapons in retaliation.

"Warren! You and Iceman cover us!" Jean was shouting. Her teammates were close by.

Iceman couldn't fly, but he could create large iceslides and zoom about, especially with all this dampness here. He swooped in close and made some walls of ice to block the shots from the innocent while Warren used his speed and agility to attack the men with weapons and disarm them. He wasn't alone. Rogue had joined the fray with some of the other telekinetics, now freed as the last of the bombs fell. The battle was in full gear.

People were screaming and running about in a panic but the uniformed SHIELD agents were there, herding the crowd towards the exits, leaving the grunt work to those mutants best capable of handling it. These were well trained men and women, but they were for the most part normal humans, they were neither telekinetic nor could they fly. Besides, it looked like Xavier's crew was making short work of this mess, due to the quick prompting from Gambit and Wolverine. It looked like the casualties would be light. The warning had come just in time.

--------------------------------------

Lakotashay came away from the phone and staggered over to one side of the convenience store. She didn't care now if Creed found them and dragged them away. She would go willingly and take whatever Creed dished out to placate his wrath. She had done the job that needed to be done. They all had, working together. She laughed softly, impressed with her work. The bombs would be stopped, everyone would be safe. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The pain washed over her in a red rain, but she didn't mind. It was kind of nice actually, and she knew it wouldn't last. Sooner or later, the Master would come and Mary would make it all go away.

She jerked back to reality with a startled grunt when the suddenly ground shook beneath her. She leaned to one side and looked around the side of the building. A huge cloud of smoke was billowing up to the sky from the direction of the stadium. The bombs had still fallen. She'd called for help and still Kimble's people had died. Remy was dead, Fallen, too. She could almost hear them screaming to him, accusing her of being too slow, not strong enough, not good enough. She had failed.

_We done a bad thing! _the pilot child screamed and Zander shuddered as another one of those terrible bolts of lightening rocked them from within. This new one was gaining power, the shattering that had started from Creed's savage beating was close to becoming real.

Lakotashay rose once more onto her broken, battered feet and shuffled away, sobbing. People stared at her, seeing her wretched condition, but she didn't care. She bumped her way down the street and into a nearby alley. She tripped and fell into a pile of garbage. She didn't care. Not any more. She didn't get up, just lay in the stink like the filth she believed she was.

------------------------------------

Rogue was having a blast. She had always been a scrapper and there was nothing like a good brawl to flex her muscles. However screwed up she may have been in her personal life, out here she was the picture of control. She swooped gracefully among the mules, grabbing folks and flinging them about. She was invulnerable which meant their bullets could do little more than bruise her and then only if they fired on her in close range. All it did was piss her off and make her more dangerous to her foes. Many of them were now falling bonelessly to the ground, stunned by the force of her heavy fists.

She wasn't alone in the skies. There were other flyers about, notably Storm who was carefully firing lightening bolts to startle the weapons from the hands of mules. A large pile of guns and rocket launchers were falling from the sky. What seemed like a blessing was only making things worse as some of the braver humans began grabbing at them and firing up into the battle above, heedless of who they might injure. One dead mutie was as good as another to these guys.

Sabretooth's mules were admittedly confused. They had been told they would be cloaked, all they had to do was drop their packs of explosives and flee. They hadn't expected to be seen much less fight. The helicopters that had brought them in had just as quickly teleported out, the mules were on their own and not doing so well.

Wolverine joined the fray along with some of the heavier hitters among the SHIELD team, using his brute force to finish off and subdue any of the mules that fell down to the ground. He was also doing his best to take down any of the civilians who had grabbed loose weapons. He had a tendency to react both violently and quickly towards anyone damaging his teammates so it was hard to remind himself to be gentle — or what passed for gentle for him anyway. Most of these folks were just frightened regular joes, not army men. They were easy enough to subdue and Wolverine made a show of demolishing as many of the weapons as he could find, not wanting anyone he might have missed to pick them up.

Cyclops was beside him, shouting orders in between fistfights and dodging bullets. He was a good commander for this well oiled team. He was directing traffic skillfully and they were making serious headway. His hand was constantly at his visor, firing small, low grade beams when necessary. Like Logan, he was doing his best not to damage the locals while trying to get this out of control situation back under wraps. Quickly now, he could see that most of the people were streaming towards the exits and would soon be evacuated. Good, the sooner this was over the better for them all.

Henry was on the sidelines, leading his own team of SHIELD medics as they swiftly attended the wounded. A makeshift triage center had been set up in Monument Park as a precaution, a concern that seemed to have been well founded. The wounded began pouring in almost immediately. Maylee was with him, doing her best to keep up. Both were wearing image inducers so as not to frighten any of the humans around them as they scrambled about, getting everyone situated.

Jean and Fallen were exhausted by their labor, but exhilarated by their level of success. They accomplished a lot considering they'd had almost no warning beforehand. It was a testament to all their hard work and training. They and the other telekinetics had managed to catch the vast majority of bombs that the mules had dropped. Some strays fell into the stands, but not where any people had been. Any unexploded ordinance was carefully removed to bomb squad trucks waiting outside the stadium.

Not all the mules were handling their failure happily. One of them also had the ability to cause spontaneous combustion and was now merrily setting the empty stands alight. He was succeeding in spite of the damp and before long the stadium was going up in flames, only adding to the overloaded X-men's woes. Storm did her best to conjure rain to quench the flames, but he was outburning her while being covered by his teammates. Bullets and rockets were being fired through the sky adding to the mayhem. Fallen and Jean joined in the continuing battle and were doing their best to shut those guys down. They were mostly successful, but it was clear the stadium would be lost. At least most of the people had gotten out before the fire got out of hand. The few stragglers were being airlifted out by X-men.

The battle didn't contain itself to the stadium. A very brave and cloaked Nightcrawler had managed to teleport aboard the last of the helicopters before it blinked away. He never would have been able to pull it off if it hadn't been for Lakotashay's phone call. Kurt was a quick reactor, always had been, and when Logan screamed into the headset, the first place he'd looked was up into the sky. He couldn't 'port into the helicopter itself, his jaunts were accompanied by a telltale puff of smoke, but he managed to land on one of the struts and hung on for dear life. This wasn't his first risky maneuver like this, he was famous for getting into trouble. The hero in him was often bigger than his own capabilities. In this case though, he managed both the jaunt and to hang on without falling off. The fact that the flight was short because the teleporters had brought the craft right back to the barge was a plus. He was silent on that barge now, using his own cloak as a tracking device, knowing that SHIELD would use him to follow Creed's men back to where they had come from. His cloak was still on its original setting, he couldn't be seen, and he was doing his best to keep it that way. Once helicopters all returned to the original barge, Kurt got busy silently placing tiny tracking devices on as much as the equipment he could safely get to.

SHIELD didn't take long to respond. They had been prepared in case such an opportunity presented itself. Patrol boats and attack helicopters were dispatched and after a brief but bloody fight, they swarmed the boat and captured most of Creed's men before they could escape. Kurt was happy to see his rescuers, no doubt dreaming of how good his boasts were going to sound around the drinking table this night.

In spite of all Sabretooth's planning, this raid was turning into something of a bust for him, mainly because of Lakotashay's quick phone call. It had been enough to get the X-men's attention so their swift and well co-ordinated training could boost that of their SHIELD counterparts. There were casualties, but very few dead. Most of those were SHIELD agents and a couple of lesser X-men that unfortunately caught bullets in the fray. If they hadn't been alerted in time, well over half of the twenty thousand or so folks that had gathered here would have died.

Word of Kimble's preemptive call was spreading quickly through the network of agents and X-men as they finished up their work at the stadium, they had all wondered where that first alert had come from. Not many of them even knew who Kimble was or knew of his situation, some of them were wondering just who this guy was and just where he was now. They weren't the only ones, one very distressed Cajun thief was on the hunt.


	7. Chapter 7

(Seven)

Gambit was only just outside the stadium when he heard the first explosions. The booming was so loud, it nearly toppled him off his feet. They left his ears ringing and made him a bit dizzy, but he kept right on going. Nothing was going to deter him from his mission. Kimble was going to be found and brought home today, come hell or high water.

It wasn't going to happen without some difficulties – a stray bomb fell close by and knocked him down hard onto his hands and knees. He grunted with pain, asphalt not being too friendly on his skin, but stood up woozily and kept going. He paused only long enough for a quick look behind him. The stadium was intact in spite of the explosions and he hoped most of the damage was in the stands and not on the grass where the people were. There were some ugly plumes of smoke he didn't like but he was in no position to do anything about them now, he would have to place his hope in the strength of this team, hopefully they would see to it that it was put out.

The SHIELD and X-men had been granted special parking privileges close by and he went in search of his Jeep but soon realized that with all the police and rescue vehicles coming, he would never get it out of here. He kept on running. He would find Kimble on foot, he was only a few blocks away and not that far from here. He didn't want to leave Kimble alone and exposed.

As he ran, all sorts of thoughts ran through his mind. 'Shay had not said what her injuries were, Gambit's mind was running wild with all sorts of possibilities – Kimble shot, Kimble stabbed, Kimble hit by a car, Kimble beaten within an inch of his life. Kimble had been through enough already as far as the thief was concerned, the thought of him being damaged any further was making Gambit sick even as he ran. The only thing that gave him comfort was that Kimble had been intact enough to figure out how to use a pay phone.

Gambit raced down the street and away from the stadium, making his way to where Lakotashay had indicated. It wasn't far and he covered the distance quickly, but was wiped out from his run. He found the phone 'Shay had used -- the pile of coins left behind in a pile on the bottom of the phone stall was a dead giveaway -- but now saw no sign of Kimble himself. He looked around wildly, scanning the throng of people standing around gaping at the smoke filled sky. Kimble was nowhere in sight.

Remy had almost given up when he caught sight of Sabretooth out of the corner of his eye. The big man was slowly walking down the street away from him, clearly looking for something -- Kimble no doubt, if the Siskan had escaped. Creed was battered and bloody, but the people around him didn't seem to notice, they were all looking at the smoke from the explosions, the cloud was growing bigger and darker by the minute. Already there was the sound of firs and rescue sirens howling in the distance. Victor was keeping low and to one side, tracking Kimble from the scent of Mary on his shirt.

Gambit slipped into the crowd of people milling about the street, downwind from Creed and followed him. He knew that Sabretooth's ability to track was as good as Logan's and was willing to let Creed do some of the work in finding Kimble for him.

It was a good strategy, Creed moved slowly along the storefronts, but paused at the opening to an alley. He sniffed and laughed with a grunt, going in. Gambit slid his retractable bo staff from his pocket and quietly snapped it out. His noise was being covered by the crowd in the street and Victor was unaware of his presence. He entered the ally, but waited until he saw the big man drag a limp and unresistant Kimble out from the garbage.

Creed couldn't hide his relief that he had Kimble back in his possession. He seemed unconcerned that the Siskan was offering no resistance and lay like on dead, Creed laughed irritably and spoke into the dead and empty face of his servant, hoping to revive him with words. "You all done runnin', my pet? That's good, 'cause it's time ta come home. I'm pissed --- really pissed, actually --- but I'll take care of that, don't you worry. How many times I gotta tell ya? Jael can shove his three million dollars up his ass. Yer stayin' with me!"

"Saby, you wound me. Gambit offer you double dat an' still you turn 'im down," Remy teased, coming closer.

Creed whirled in surprise and snarled when he saw the thief standing there. He grinned, showing his fangs. "Hey, Cajun. You still got my marks on your pretty skin?"

Remy twirled his staff with a confident smile. "Dat boy belong to me. You put him down nice and quiet, s'il vous plait, mebbe I don break your head open, d'accorde?"

"Humph. Yeah I knows about you an' him. Too bad fer you, he's mine! You want him, you'll have ta go through me!"

Gambit just grinned, not really understanding what Creed had said about him and Kimble, but didn't care. "I made it t'rough you b'fore, M'sieu 'Tooth. I can do it again. I ain't no little kid no more."

Creed let Kimble's limp body fall and they went to it. True, Gambit was no longer the teenager he had been on that terrible day in the Morlock tunnels, but at the same time, Sabretooth was big and fast, stronger than Logan with a better healing factor.

Remy was a good fighter and nimble, yet wasn't as good in such close quarters, not against a man with claws who could heal. He kicked and spun, using his surroundings as best he could to keep the monster from getting close enough to scratch him with his big ugly talons. It was close fighting, his jacket was beginning to show the wear and hung in ragged tatters in the front. Remy used anything he could find as weapon, charging bits of garbage and the like, but was leery about too big a bang, he didn't want to topple a building on them or hurt Kimble by accident.

Sabretooth seemed to guess this, keeping the thief close and not letting him get too far away to where it was more open. He was no fool and well versed on Remy's strengths and weaknesses. He knew that Remy would wear down eventually, that he wouldn't be able to compete with his own resistance to fatigue. Creed was right, Gambit was running out of gas while he was just getting warmed up.

Remy cursed in ragged French when Victor shattered his staff with a vicious swipe of his claws. The big man grinned in satisfaction as Gambit was forced to retreat a little. Remy wasn't quite sure what to do now. He tossed a few more cards but Creed was much too skilled to be dazed that easily.

Remy had been hoping perhaps Kimble would wake and help him out here --- that little sword trick would come in handy right about now -- but the pilot lay dead like a huge white dishrag, his eyes open but unseeing of all that was around him. Gambit cursed and fell back on the pistol, firing the full clip into Sabretooth and only earning another guttural laugh. The monster that was Sabretooth couldn't be stopped with bullets, especially when he was in a full mad on like he was right now. They danced around some more, but it wasn't long before Creed got the upper hand. He gave Remy a crushing blow to the face, hard enough to spin the poor boy around, tangling his legs. Victor caught his prey and slammed him into the brick wall with enough force to daze him. He pinned Remy down and raised a huge clawed hand. "Bang! Yer dead, Cajun!"

Time froze in that instant for Remy. He saw Sabretooth's raised claws above him and heard the thunder of his own heartbeat filling his hears. He had always been lucky and really never saw himself as trapped or dead to rights as he was now. There were no X-men leaping off the roof to save him or Danger Room panic buttons here. He wasn't getting out of this alive. As the claws came down towards him, the only thought he had was one of intense regret. He had wasted so much time and never really tried to achieve the one thing he had always wanted most. He wanted a wife and kids. Lots of them, all running around his feet as they squealed and laughed with the joy of just being alive. He should never had wasted his time waiting on Rogue who was never going to truly love him. He could have found a real girl with a real heart who could have given him some real kids and a real life.

Funny how the face that came to him was Molly's. He saw her smiling face, the soft blue glow of her eyes. He knew it was wrong to want her, she was way too young, but he couldn't help it. It was her he was thinking of right now and he felt a kind of peace having her in his heart as he died. He closed his eyes and cringed, waiting for his death and hoping it would be quick.

Gambit cried out as he was sprayed with hot blood and gore. The biggest shock came when he discovered it wasn't his own. He coughed in surprise and looked up at Creed in wonder. Sabretooth stood before him, twitching like a crazed madman, howling not with victory, but with agony. He'd been run through with a large orange glowing broadsword which bore an uncanny resemblance to Valentin's. The pilot had miraculously revived and come to his rescue after all, Zander had made his mysterious blade and given it a charge. It wasn't as bright as it had been on the day Remy had seen him do this the first time, Zander was almost out of juice and had played his final card to protect his friend.

Remy could smell Creed's insides burning from the hot plasma of the sword and he couldn't stop himself from gagging. He prayed Creed wouldn't explode as Seamus had, he didn't know if his stomach could take it.

Kimble stood behind Sabretooth and growled Zander's low mumble in his ear. "Surprise, fucker! Fergot about me, didn'cha? Do ya know who I am, huh? I am **La ShaRain natay LaRoo**, the Guardian Angel! Zander! I toldja you an ' me wuz gonna have a reckonin'. Toldja I wuz gonna kill ya, too, if ya followed us. How ya likin' it, c--cksucker, huh!"

Creed gasped through reddened teeth, unsure of what had just happened. He knew Zander was angry at him, but this? Clearly, his little toy wasn't wrapped as tightly as he'd thought. Kimble was having a breakdown and had skewered the wrong guy. How embarrassing.

"Put me down! I'm yer Master!" he spat out, spraying blood. He jerked his body, but the sword held him fast. His flesh had fused to the blade in a feeble attempt to heal itself, and Zander's telekinetic power restrained him as well. He was trapped with no way out. "You promised ta protect me!"

"Kim done that, not me. Never me. No real Master would ever treats us like ya done. It's been real fun, watchin' Kimble playin' around with you, but it wuzn't ever love. We had the real thing b'fore, we knows what it's like and you ain't it! You jus' wanted an invulnerable punchin' bag with a nice warm hole in it! Kim wuz whatever ya wanted him ta be. Jus' cuz him an' 'Shay wuz cool with it don' mean I wuz. I ain't about ta bow down ta you 'r anaone else, fucker! I toldja you ain't never gonna be the Master of me! Time fer some payback!"

"That's a stinkin' load of crap!" Sabretooth snarled, his feeble brain unable to wrap around the conundrum placed before him. He still wanted to believe this was Kimble playing some sort of stupid game. "You were there, waitin' on me, beggin' for it! Kim was all cryin' when he thought I was gonna leave him! You can't deny what was there!"

Gambit reeled, was this some kind of lover's spat? _Wow, did Saby ever get the surprise_, he chuckled to himself. For once Kimble's damaged mind was working in his favor. The Lover wasn't the only one in the house and now poor Victor had to deal with the fractured pilot's various selves, an outraged Punisher in particular. _Hey, what comes around goes around, Saby. Enjoy._

Zander wasn't done arguing. "Yeah? Maybe there mighta been sumpthin' there 'tween you an Kim, but if ya loved Kim as much as ya say, how come ya didn't listen ta him? He gave ya every chance ta stop this. Every chance! Him an 'Shay done evrathin' ya ever wanted 'em to, butcha couldn't do this one thing fer them, ya fuckin' hypocrite! You couldn't spare us this one life! This one life in exchange fer the rest of ours! Well ya blew it, fucker! You made a mistake lyin' ta us an' thinkin' I wouldn't stops ya. Yer goin' down -- permanently!" Zander gave the sword he'd conjured from his own power a vicious twist and snarled, "That's fer the belt, asshole!"

Sabretooth howled in agony, his voice cracking and breaking from the strain. It was a horrible sound, the worst thing Gambit had ever heard. The only thing not making this worse was that Zander was too weak to fully Channel the blade, he was melting Sabretooth from the inside out, but couldn't load him up with enough plasma to burst him apart. No matter, a blade was still a blade. Sabretooth was only one more twist away from being severed in two.

"Zander, non! C'est essez! Stop!" Remy shouted, breaking out of his daze. He didn't mind Sabretooth getting some pain, but this was getting out of hand. The Punisher wanted to take this all the way. "Don' kill 'im!"

Gambit had been startled by Kimble's transformation and recognized Zander's voice all too well. What a breath stealing transition -- only moments ago Kimble had been lying in a pile of trash like a dead thing, now he was hovering behind the monstrous Sabretooth, glowing with a strange orange light. Remy had already seen Zander's magic trick before, but it didn't compare to seeing it right up close like this. Zander was monstrously beautiful as he stood so elegantly, the air around him charged with some kind of malevolent power. Remy didn't understand what was going on here. All he knew was he couldn't let Kimble or any of his broken selves kill anyone else.

"Why not? This fucker's dead already!" the Punisher snapped, his eyes red and full of hatred.

"Non, jus' 'urt real bad. He got the point, let 'im go!"

"No!" Zander growled again. "He wuz hurtin' Kimble real bad an' likin' it!" His face was contorted in an ugly mask of rage and hate.

"Gambit's askin' you not to, s'il vous plait," Remy said, keeping his voice level. It was sinking in that Kimble's Zander was the spirit firmly at the helm and he didn't want to aggravate the Punisher who was obviously so easily roused. "S'il vous plait, Zandy. Fo' me. Fo' Gambit."

Zander continued to growl as he considered his options.

_Let him go...please,_ Kimble whispered from the circle of light. _He's all done nohow._

Zander looked at his victim and saw Kimble was right. Creed had grown quiet from blood loss and pain and wasn't fighting him anymore. The Punisher closed his eyes and with a low moan, withdrew the sword, letting Creed fall bonelessly to the ground. Victor rolled over, clutching his guts and shivering. He was badly hurt, perhaps fatally. There were no assurances that his healing factor could save him from everything. His insides had been melted, horribly charred and fused as if he'd swallowed a plasma bomb down his own throat. There were no words to describe the pain. All there was, was the smell of cooked meat.

The Punisher shivered and the orange glow left him as the sword dissolved away to nothing. His power now drained, he crumpled down next to Kimble's lover who lay in a lake of crimson blood and gore. Zander blinked and released control, his rage no longer needed.

Kimble groaned as he returned to the fore. His body was almost out of power and wasted now, too weak to really move. His eyes cleared and for a moment, he met those of his Master and he keened sharply in shame and horror of what he'd done. This man had loved him and he'd skewered him like so much meat. "Kristalay! Oh, no.. Not my Kristalay!" Kimble wailed with a sob."I'm so sorry! I didn' mean ta hurts ya so bad...jus' couldn't lets ya kill Remy...not this one...please!"

" 'S okay, kid. I'll be comin' back fer you, don't you worry," Creed growled gently, accepting Kimble's apology. He lifted a huge clawed hand and dropped it over one of Kimble's, swallowing it up. He twitched once and passed out.

Kimble watched as Creed's shine shimmered and faded away. It wasn't out, not yet, but it was as good as gone. His Master was dead and he'd been responsible. Kimble cried out loudly and that bright light burst out from inside of his brain, flooding the Black Room of his mind. He howled and was swallowed up by it, falling back into his chains, back into the circle of light.

Gambit waited, expecting Lakotashay to come out. He had seen the light dim in Kimble's eyes, and realized the Lover had retreated. But it wasn't the Quitter who came to greet him, no. It was someone new.

The tiny pilot child came out violently, screaming a torrent of hysterical Siskan. **_"WE'S BAD! WE DONE THE VERY BADDEST THING! WE KILLDED THE MASTER! NO! NO! NNNOOO!" _**

"Oh, Jesus!" Remy cried and grabbed at him protectively, not really understanding. All he knew was that this was bad, really bad. He didn't recognize the voice and it frighted him. He shook the pilot roughly, hoping to snap him out of it. He never noticed that in spite of his injuries, Kimble took very little power from him. With injuries this severe, he should have been violently tossed into Kimble's mind, back into that grey sky of Kimble's internal Neverland. It didn't happen. There was a small red crackle as his bare fingers grasped at him, but that was all. He screamed at his friend, "Kimble!"

The pilot just wailed, repeating in Siskan over and over as the tears poured from his eyes. **_"WE DONE A BAD THING! WE DONE THE BADDEST THING! WE'S SO BAD!" _**

Remy groaned in mental agony, Kimble's vibrations of pain, shame and horror were choking him. They were intense and powerful, just as strong as Babette's vibrations of love had been. Their bond was strong, strong enough to hurt him like nothing else right now. It was horrible and tears sprang to his eyes almost instantly. Shi'ow-ri was screaming at him,**_/ He's splitting again! You have to get him out of here! Move your Cajun ass/_**

He scrambled to comply, his mind spinning. Kimble was trashed and they had to get out of here. One look at Kimble's feet convinced him they weren't going to go out walking.

"Whoa! What, the hell happened here?"

Gambit looked up, startled to hear the voice from above him. He smiled with relief, hoping his pain didn't show, he would never be able to explain it.

Max dropped down, dressed in a bulletproof vest and a harness, holding a set of straps. Like Fallen, he was expected to wear these for transport because he was still in training. He took one look at the charred and savaged body of Victor Creed and shuddered in revulsion. He didn't think Remy had done that, but didn't believe the other guy did either. He was wailing like a little kid who just got busted for doing something bad. Max just hoped whoever it was that had done thing, they were far away from here now.

"What you doin' 'ere, Maxie? Not dat Gambit's mindin' it any."

"Logan sent me," Max replied, his voice a little shaky from all the excitement. He was thrilled he had been included in the Rally crew. He hadn't expected to see any action because he was so new and was ecstatic that he had ended up being of some value.

"Nice to know dat boy's good fo' sumptin'," Remy joked and hauled Kimble up into his arms. The pilot had quieted after his initial outbursts and was now sobbing and repeating his lament in low tones, the Siskan leaking out around his sobs. The painful vibrations had lessened, making it easier for Gambit to think and get moving.

Max came over but froze, uncertainly. "You okay?"

"What? Why?" Remy asked, not really understanding. He glanced down at his body, seeing in a stress induced fog that he was covered in Sabretooth's blood. "Oh, dat? Well, it ain't nuthin' a litte dry cleanin' won't fix, n'est ce pas?"

"Uhm, sure," Max replied nervously, fumbling with the leather in his hands.

"Chill out, Maxie. It ain't mine."

Max nodded, feeling a little better, and helped Remy get strapped up in a harness, trying not to look at Kimble. This guy was covered in blood as well and stinking of garbage, hopelessly trashed.

Max got them set and jerked them into the air without preamble. He was young, but quick enough to know when to shut up and get moving. The crowd outside the alley had seen them and was growing curious. He flew swiftly, heading back to the Mansion.

To be continued in Recovery.


End file.
